Veritum dies aperit: Time discovers the truth
by The Devil's Right Hand
Summary: Waking up from a coma, four months pregnant, and without any memory of how she got there, Sakura is faced with the challenge of regaining her memories and all of the danger attached to them.
1. Discovery

"Veritum dies aperit" (Time discovers the truth)

Chapter 1 Discovery

The world was buzzing. Sounds were hushed, but much too loud. Colors were splayed erratically, connecting and mixing until everything was a blur. Preferring to retreat back into the darkness, where she was sure it would be pleasantly quiet and not so confusing, Sakura closed her eyes and attempted to lull what little control she had over her frazzled brain.

"Sakura!" a harsh command of a voice broke through.

Mentally, Sakura felt herself jolt, and attempted to shake her head and assure the voice that she should just let go. Sakura had, and the feeling was blissful. Her head, however, seemed far too heavy, so Sakura just let it be. Sighing, she reassured herself. Whoever it was would know what she meant.

"Goddammit, Sakura, don't you dare give up on me!" the ragged voice commanded again.

Sakura spent several moments attempting to decipher the voice's words, until thinking became too painful. She did catch the distinguished sound of anxiety in the tone, though, and tried to furrow her brows. What was so upsetting? Sakura was experiencing absolute contentment. Nothing could be wrong- nothing felt wrong. Why didn't the voice understand that?

Instead of a response this time, Sakura felt an unpleasant feeling on top of her chest, an almost overwhelming combination of tension and pressure. It intensified, backed away for a few moments, and then came back. Almost as if she was being pumped... Sakura tried to tell the voice to stop. She tried to yell, tried to scream, but it was as if her voicebox was no longer connected to her brain. Suddenly frustrated- the pressure was going to squeeze the life out of her- Sakura attempted to move something. Anything. But nothing responded, all the way from her pinkies to her toes.

Feeling a strong impulse to cry, Sakura was startled when she felt streams of wetness fall down her cheeks. Everything else seemed numb and muted, except for those tears. Taking a ragged breath, Sakura gathered what little resolve she still had, and attempted to move everything at once.

A gasp sounded, but that barely registered as pain suddenly enveloped her brain and body. The intensity of it was overwhelming, and Sakura cried out at the throbbing. She traded absolute bliss for this? Suddenly angry, both at herself, at her body, at the world even, Sakura pounded her limbs down in frustration. Wait- Sakura paused just long enough to realize that she could move again, before the pain of the experience toke away all of her thinking ability. Clenching her fist, she begged anyone willing to listen. Help, please, or take pity and just let me drown.

Lulled slightly by a hand that brushed her hair back from her forehead, and continued stroking it, Sakura stopped resisting. It was so painful. Suddenly feeling sticky and sweaty, Sakura attempted to roll, but was stopped by a firm grip. With a sigh, Sakura let it be, and gradually let go to a pleasant feeling that was growing from her chest and head. Distantly, she figured that it was chakra, and concluded she must be injured. But the thought passed, just as all the others did, and Sakura let herself retreat into the darkness. It was not as blissful this time around, but Sakura felt at that moment, exhausted, that she would do practically anything for some peace and quiet.

* * *

The next time Sakura opened her eyes, light bombarded her senses. Immediately wincing, and frowning at lingering tingles of pain she could still feel at random, Sakura waited until her eyes gradually adjusted. As lights and colors gradually came to together, Sakura was vaguely able to make out white-washed walls, a single window, and a door. As she came into focus, Sakura could make out the dim ceiling lights above her, a cluster of chairs in front of her bed, and an IV connected to her arm. Dimly, she realized that she was in the Konoha hospital.

Severely disorientated, Sakura tried to remember how she had gotten there. Mentally reaching back, though, nothing stayed, and her memories seemed to float away from her like coy in a pond. Already sick of the frustration it caused her, and the exhaustion that seemed to overwhelm her body, Sakura laid back against the bedboard behind her, and lazily toke another look around. It was only then that she was able to discern a silver head in one of the nearby chairs, face covered by a yellow book that Sakura could just barely make out the title for. Icha Icha Paradise. Sakura rolled her eyes, and smiled affectionately, pleased both that he was there, and that the action had cost her no pain.

She wasn't sure what to do next, though. She wanted to speak with him, to ask how he was, and to discover how she came to be in the hospital. At the same time, however, he seemed to be fitfully sleeping, and judging by the exhaustion that seemed to exude from his frame, Sakura supposed that he severely needed it. Nodding her head absentmindedly, and frowning as the slight movement cause her head to throb slightly, Sakura settled comfortably into the pillows behind her.

Preparing to fall back asleep, and hoping that the next time she was awake, Kakashi would be as well, Sakura was startled out of her resolve as loud, albeit quick footsteps made their way towards her room. Resisting the urge to smirk, Sakura waited and looked towards the door with anticipation. She was not disappointed as a head full of bright blond hair shoved its way into her room. Her eyes met a pair of bright blue ones.

"Sakura!" Naruto seemed to explode as he rushed towards her. Practically bouncing on the bed next to her, Sakura attempted to stifle the wince that came with a jolt of pain that shot through her as the mattress moved. Naruto noticed, however, and immediately backed off until he was dangling from the edge of the bed. His expression clearly displayed his excitement, and a small twinge of regret that Sakura assumed was from causing her to wince. Sakura gave him a bright smile.

"Naruto" she announced affectionately, still smiling.

"Sakura" a gruff voice reached her that came from the chair occupied by the previously sleeping shinobi.

Looking over at the ex-ANBU, Sakura resisted the impulse to laugh as she caught sight of the ruffled mat of bedhead that currently made up Kakashi's hair. "Kakashi" she stated instead, grinning despite herself. Kakashi returned the gesture with a eye-crinkling smile.

"How are you feeling Sakura?" Naruto announced, cutting in rather anxiously. Looking over, Sakura could see that Naruto's features were drawn into a pout, and his eyes radiated with worry.

Furrowing her brows in bemusement, but still smiling, Sakura stated, "Fine. Why?" When neither of them answered her, Sakura glanced at both of them with a frown. Pushing down a feeling of rising anxiety that threatened to bloom in her chest, Sakura asked uncertainly, "Why? What happened? Why am I here?"

At her confusion, Naruto immediately turned towards Kakashi and attempted to implore him to explain with his eyes. Kakashi gave a large sigh, and Naruto gradually relaxed into the bed-side. Turning to glance at her former teacher, Sakura could she the hesitation in his eyes, and braced herself. "Kakashi? What's wrong?" she urged him, still frowning.

"Well, what do you remember, Sakura?" Kakashi asked, figuring that that would be a good place to start. Sakura just looked at him blankly for several moments before pulling back, her features giving way and displaying her displeasure.

"Nothing" she stated uncertainly. She knew where she was, and she knew who these people were, but she couldn't dig up anything specific, as hard as she tried.

"Nothing?" Kakashi probed questionably.

"Nothing" she repeated, and then voiced her thoughts as she gradually tilted her head, emphasizing her confusion. "I know where I am. I know who you are. But I can't seem to find anything to grab a hold of. Distinct memories... I don't know where they are" she stated assuredly, almost to herself.

Sighing, Kakashi ran a hand through his hair for a moment, looking at the ceiling almost defeatedly, before looking back at his old student. Tsunade warned him that this could happen. "So" he muttered almost to himself.

"So?" Sakura echoed, and her frown deepened.

Shaking away the displeasure that he knew was unavoidable, he silently berated himself for trying to shelter his student. She had the right to know. Giving her an attempt at a reassuring smile, Kakashi began. "You were found just outside of the village three months ago. You had severe head trauma, and extensive injuries to your chest, which resulted in a self-induced coma. That was the condition in which we found you."

"Found me?" was all Sakura said. Her mind was awhirl. Why would they have to find her? Shouldn't they already know where she was?

Kakashi looked Sakura straight in the eye. "Sakura, you had been absent from the village for a year and a half."

Sakura was startled, and her eyes widened. "Why?" she asked, before continuing. "Was I on a mission? In another country, maybe, where I would be needed for that long?" Sakura knew she was trying to reassure herself from the unpleasant feeling that was growing in her gut.

Kakashi shook his head almost absentmindedly. "Sakura, you left. Of your own free will. A year and a half ago, you were declared a missing-nin." The feeling in the pit of Sakura's stomach intensified to the point where Sakura had to resist the urge to vomit. Curbing the tears that were threatening to spill, Sakura could only whisper, "Why?"

Kakashi sat back in his chair with a resigned air. "We have no idea. You left without saying a word to anyone." At this, Sakura's glance became fearful, and she looked between Kakashi and Naruto with a mixture of apprehension and regret. Slowly, as her mind turned over what Kakashi had said in her mind, and what she could remember about Konoha politics, Sakura looked towards Kakashi resolutely. "So why am I not dead?" she asked hesitantly. That was the fate of all missing-nin, she recalled darkly. Except perhaps Sasuke, and that was only because the council wanted a hold of the Sharingan.

Kakashi gave her a look that she couldn't identify, and stated dispassionately, "It's because you are four months pregnant. The council attempted to execute you, but when the village heard that you were with child, and in a coma, they protested, loudly. It was agreed to keep you alive until a time where you could be re-tried. Of course, this was with the assumption that you would wake up."

Sakura could feel her hands shaking as she looked down towards her stomach nervously. At the moment it was comfortably covered with bedsheets and blankets. Looking back at Kakashi she murmured hesitantly, "How did I wake up?"

At this, Kakashi's look turned black, and Sakura was surprised he didn't snarl in fury. Naruto did. "You were on feeding tubes. Hardly surprising, considering you were in a coma. The council members thought that they could get around the voice of the people by unplugging you late at night to make the incident seem accidental."

Pausing slightly, he turned to glare at the window. "Simply removing your feeding tubes would not have done anything for awhile, of course. It takes a few days to starve, not a few hours. However, they unplugged everything, and injected you with things to assure your death. Drugs. Poisons. It nearly killed Tsunade to keep you alive."

At her teacher's name, a flash crossed over Sakura's mind, and she suddenly saw a vividly colored scene that consisted of her and Tsunade in an office surrounded by scrolls, working and laughing together. Shaking her head to rid herself of the disorientation, Sakura frowned at the implications of what Kakashi was describing. "What about the baby?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"We were able to operate before any of the substances got to the child" Kakashi stated matter of factly.

Sakura was strangely relieved, but frowned nonetheless. "The council wants me dead" she stated aloofly.

Kakashi nodded his consent, still staring at the window.

After a few moments of silence, Sakura prompted, "So when is the re-trial?"

Kakashi turned to look at her with something akin to surprise. "Definitely not until after the baby is born- the village would be outraged at murdering a pregnant woman. And now that you are awake, I am sure they are very curious to find the identity of the father." Both Kakashi and Naruto now looked at her as if they were wondering the same thing.

Sakura's eyebrows raised at the implications, before furrowing in thought. The father. She hadn't considered that, and wasn't sure she wanted to follow to the end of where that train of thought left her. Brushing it aside to ponder later, Sakura considered what she knew.

She left the village- something must have happened. She was confident that she knew herself, and her reactions. There had to have been some reason to explain why. Next, she was in a coma- that thought was not at all pleasant. She would be considerably out of shape if that was true. She would have to work to remedy that. Finally, she was pregnant. Before the connotation could shock her, Sakura stopped herself and forced out a meditative breath. Reassuring herself, she gauged herself emotionally. While there was some shock, a part of her had already resigned to the facts Kakashi listed, as if she had already known about them. While she was genuinely surprised by the pregnancy, she wasn't troubled by it.

Intuitionally assured that it wasn't rape, and deciding that she wanted the baby, Sakura relaxed. She could deal with this. Just one step at a time.

Giving a reassuring smile at herself, and the men in front of her, Sakura let herself fall back into the pillows. This stress couldn't be good for the baby. Somehow giddy at the thought, Sakura asked, "How old am I?" It was such a trivial question, compared to the other information she received, but getting a bearing on time might help her remember more.

Kakashi still looked a little rattled at Sakura's blatant acceptance, but smiled back at her. "Nineteen, I believe" he said with the slightest tilt of his head.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, before narrowing thoughtfully. An appropriate age, she decided, to have a child. Much easier to grasp then if she had been seventeen, or kami forbid, fifteen. Nineteen, she resolved, she could live with. Nodding to herself absentmindedly, she began to plan. She needed to discover a lot of things. Why she left the village, for starters. The reasons behind the council's blatant disapproval of her existence. She needed to get back into shape- thoughtfully, Sakura made that a priority. She now had two lives to protect, she thought with a smile. Especially in the case that she or her child was condemned. She would have to be strong enough to protect them outside of the village. Not an easy task, by anyone's standards.

Feeling much better with plans, Sakura looked to her boys in front of her. "So how has it been?" she asked almost happily.

Naruto, she could tell, was about to rant about his life, his dreams, inconsequential people, when Kakashi butted in. "You are just accepting everything?" he asked with a frown, and a disbelieving tone.

Sakura raised one brow in response. "I must have had less maturity than I remember" Sakura stated somewhat sardonically, crossing her arms over her chest and the bedsheets and blankets covering it. Kakashi simply frowned. She may have been mature, he thought to himself, but certainly not this impassive about events of such importance. The Sakura he knew before she had left would certainly have been crying by now. Sighing at the look she was giving him, Kakashi gave her a ghost of a smile before glancing at Naruto expectantly. Naruto toke this as sign to continue, and burst into the tangent Sakura had expected earlier.

She must have sat there listening to Naruto rant beside Kakashi for a half an hour before the door was opened boldly by a frowning blond. "Leave" she commanded to Naruto and Kakashi, before making her way inside the room. Naruto looked up at her and pouted, and Kakashi just stared at her lazily. "Now!" Tsunade shouted, prepared to kick their chairs. Kakashi poofed out of existance, and Naruto creep backwards towards the window, before giving a last "Bye, Sakura", opening the window, and darting through. Tsunade just gave a large sigh, before looking at Sakura.

Frowning, but refraining from saying anything, Tsunade sat in the chair that was previously occupied by Kakashi. She looked at the girl in the bed expectantly.

"Shishou?" Sakura asked questionably. Tsunade twitched slightly, before her gaze became assessing. The blond looked over her patient quietly for a few moments before looking Sakura in the eye. "Your memory?" she asked briskly.

Sakura immediately responded, "Partial. I seem to remember people and places, but the events surrounded the last four or so years are fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?" Tsunade questioned with a raised brow.

"Incomplete" Sakura stated instead, her features dispassionate.

Tsunade nodded and hummed assertively, before abruptly standing up. "Right now you will rest. Later, we will have a very long discussion" the Hokage promised the girl, before walking towards the door. Giving Sakura one last glance over her left shoulder, Tsunade quietly closed the door.

Sakura pushed down the sudden feeling of discomfort that her teacher's brief presence had brought her, and tried not to dwell too much on the past, and in her case, the present. Settling back into bed and succumbing to the exhaustion, Sakura let her thoughts drift until a sleep toke her that was without dreams.

* * *

The next time Sakura woke up, she was pleased to notice that her grogginess and moments of disorientation were much shorter. Feeling content as she was with no impending need to rise, Sakura gazed lazily around her. A young nurse was attending to her monitor on the right side of her bed. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Sakura pinned the nurse as newly instated from the permanent look of anxiety on the nurse's face that seemed to pinch her nose unpleasantly and draw out long lines on her forehead. Her long brown hair did little to help her expression, tied in a ponytail with loose strands that clung to the girls cheeks pathetically. Sakura resisted the urge to groan.

Sighing loudly enough for the girl to hear, Sakura raised an eye expectantly. The nurse seemed startled by the noise and jumped back to stare at Sakura nervously, much too slow to make her a kunoichi, Sakura noticed.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Sakura asked dryly, a brow still raised as she assessed what she could see of the girl's clipboard. The young nurse, at seeing her glance, moved to cover the clipboard with her chest possessively. Sakura's eyes narrowed in turn.

Raising her chin to the challenge, the girl stated somewhat snobbily, "Of course I do." Sufficiently hiding her nervous tendencies, the girl leaned forward and suggested with a sickly sweet smile, "Maybe it is time for your daily dose of sedatives?"

Sakura pursed her lips in displeasure. There was a time when she practically owned this hospital, and irritation rose in her chest at the girl's obvious lack of respect. And since when did a recovering patient without extensive injuries require sedatives? "Sedatives?" she asked frowning.

The girl gave an authoritative look at the clipboard in her hands and nodded in agreement. Looking back at the pink-haired young woman on the bed she had to resist smirking. "That's what it says" she sniped instead, heading towards the door. She paused at the door when a voice reached her from inside the room, constricted with anger.

"I would like to speak with the Hokage" Sakura ordered, pushing herself up in bed to give herself as much of an authoritative look as possible.

"I'm sure you would" the girl stated sarcastically, still smiling, before closing the door. Sakura had to clench her hands and force herself to take measured breaths. Attempting to sooth the anger that was quickly pulsating through her limbs, Sakura barely noticed as she rose from the bed. Immediately protesting, her muscles gave way, and the next thing she knew, Sakura was sprawled out on an expanse of scrubbed hospital tile.

Deeply frowning, Sakura quickly chartered her body with chakra. The rate at which her muscles had disintegrated was no where near normal for a mere three months, Sakura assessed with a grimace. Either the drugs and poison, or maybe even the sedatives had caused this. While a distant thought in her mind screamed sabotage, another part of Sakura's brain was going through her list of known medical jutsu, looking for one that could be of assistance.

Smiling grimly as she came across one, Sakura painfully sat up on the floor, and pushed herself into a position where her hands had access to her arms and legs. Giving a deep breath, and thankful for a full reserve of chakra, Sakura began to slowly heal disintegrated parts of muscle fibers and tissues back together. For something so delicate, however, precision and time were a necessity, and so it was hardly a surprise when four hours later Tsunade found Sakura still sitting on the floor.

The intensity of the concentration that absorbed Sakura's features, however, prevented the Hokage from screaming at her patient. Instead, she watched the technique her apprentice was performing with growing concern. Brows furrowed, Tsunade felt for a period when Sakura's chakra was waning, and at that time spoke up. "Sakura?" she asked almost hesitantly, frowning.

Sakura looked up at her shishou blankly after she heard her name called, and stopped the flow of chakra. There was a moment of silence as Tsunade stared down at the girl, who blinked in reply. Then, her hands on her hips, Tsunade found her voice.

"What the hell are you doing on the floor? I thought I told you to rest!" the blond stated angrily, slightly snarling.

As she absorbed her teacher's fury, Sakura was able to regain her own. "Why are you sedating me?" she grounded out in frustration. She had so many things that she wanted to voice, but this had been the thing that was nagging at the back of her brain for the last few hours. Sedatives were dangerous, and most of them narcotic. Hardly acceptable to be giving to a pregnant woman.

"Sedating?" Tsunade asked in surprise, arms crossing underneath her chest as she leaned back.

"That's what the nurse said" Sakura stated, eyes narrowed, but she could feel herself loosing steam at the release.

Tsunade's frown deepened. "What nurse?" she asked somewhat dangerously.

"A brunette. Ponytail. New recruit. She said that I received daily doses of sedatives" Sakura reiterated, before continuing, "You know what sedatives could do to my baby." Sakura's lips were pursed as her own mind pursued the possibilities.

"You aren't supposed to be administered sedatives" Tsunade stated assertively, before giving Sakura an assessing look. "Are you sure that is what she told you?" she asked, trying to pinpoint Sakura's stress levels.

Sakura grimaced. Her shishou would question her word? Probably the result from leaving a year and a half ago and becoming a missing-nin. She was have to get used to that. "Yes" Sakura maintained confidently.

Tsunade gave Sakura a brief nod, before taking quickened steps out of the room. Returning a few minutes later, Tsunade picked Sakura up and placed her back into the bed, her expression dark. Running tired hands through her blond hair, Tsunade muttered something about wanting sake before sitting in a chair next to the bed. Turning slowly to look at Sakura she stated, "I talked to the girl in question. She maintains that she said no such thing."

Sakura immediately scowled, and looked away from her shishou to look out of the window. After a few moments of silence, in which Sakura forced herself to calm down, Sakura turned back to Tsunade and asserted resolutely, "It doesn't matter as long as you can give me your confidence that you are not sedating me."

Tsunade gave Sakura an odd glance, before stating, "I give you my confidence." Sakura immediately relaxed into the bed, barely noticing the release of tension in her shoulders. Allowing herself a small smile of reassurance, Sakura turned back to the Hokage and voiced her other concern.

"There is serious disintegration in my muscles that I can't explain. How did that happen?" Sakura asked, half-hoping that Tsunade would assure her about the after affects of a poison, or something else relatively harmless. Tsunade simply looked troubled again, and laid a hand softly across Sakura's arm. Resisting the impulse to jolt at the contact, Sakura could feel Tsunade's chakra quickly and efficiently traveling throughout her body. Still frowning after she finished, Tsunade pulled back thoughtfully.

"I can't account for it" Tsunade said simply, still obviously troubled. Looking towards her student, Tsunade asked, "Do you have any idea where it came from?"

"Sabotage" was all Sakura murmured, voicing her earlier thoughts. There were flaws with her hypothesis, however. She didn't know of a chemical off the top of her head that could disintegrate muscles. Therefore she didn't know to what effect it caused, and the time spam in endured. She looked at Tsunade curiously.

Tsunade's expression was dark as she considered Sakura's suggestion. "Possibly" she let out with a sigh, before leaning back into the chair in a slouch. "In any case, I will research and see what I can find. In the mean time however- how much has Kakashi told you?" she asked blatantly.

"My age. My missing-nin status. My pregnancy" Sakura listed with a blank expression.

"Your memory?" Tsunade pressed.

"Same as earlier, except for the occasional flash of remembrance, and even that only occurs randomly, and shows itself as a picture" Sakura stated, recalled the image she received of her shishou and her working together.

At this, Tsunade nodded optimistically. "Signs of your memory returning are very good. After the operation, it was at a ten percent at best, but it seems you are beating the odds." Bearing a look of sudden contemplation, Tsunade continued, "There is a remedial medicine you can take that can help your memory return, quickly. It is made of harmless herbs, and should therefore have no effect on the baby." Sakura was already nodding her head in agreement when she saw the look of hesitation cross her teacher's face. "Do you want to remember?" she asked intently.

"Yes" Sakura decided almost immediately after the question. She was prepared to catch up with her past, and never to let it dictate her life like it used to. She looked boldly into Tsunade's eyes.

Tsunade seemed to catch whatever determination Sakura was brewing in there, and absentmindedly nodded her head. "Alright" she stated, "From now on with your breakfast you will be receiving these herbs in hopes that your memory will come back to you. When it does, you will tell me what you know." She did not say this threateningly, and actually attempted to implore the girl. "As you are aware, your re-trial is months away. Anything that could help the village could help you out of an execution."

Sakura nodded. "I understand Shishou" she said with a small smile. Tsunade gave into the impulse to pat the girl's head affectionately, before getting up from the chair.

"Shishou?" Sakura asked urgently. Tsunade hummed in response. "When will I be able to get out of bed?" Sakura asked with a pout and a furrowed brow. Tsunade laughed and headed towards the door.

Upon reaching it, she looked over her left shoulder towards the girl. "You should be fit to walk around in the next few days, only hours at a time. If all goes well, you should expect to be released from the hospital in two weeks, with bi-weekly check-up appointments. You will be restricted from training, however, for the next month." Sakura toke it all with hardened resolve, and waited until the door closed to begin planning.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Pity.**

**Note to Readers: Review if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please. 3**


	2. Recovery

"Veritum dies aperit" (Time discovers the truth)

Chapter 2 Recovery

Sakura couldn't resist the bright, cheery smile that lighted her lips as she toke in the trees, and the grass, and the flowers. Despite the fact that she was in a wheelchair- the idiot burnette nurse had sweetly insisted- she still felt free. Gazing behind her at the energetic blond who was, perhaps, pushing too fast- he had insisted- she felt rather than saw that her grin was reflected on Naruto's face.

"Slow down Naruto" Kakashi repriminded her teammate lightly from her right as the wheelchair hit a particularly large bump in the road that caused her to jolt. But Sakura didn't care. After being couped up in the hospital for the promised two weeks, she felt such freedom.

They arrived at her apartment a few minutes later, and Sakura gazed for a few moments at the building fondly. She had been pleasantly surprised to find out that they had done nothing with it- such as throwing all of her stuff out and renting the room off to someone else. Upon inquiry Kakashi had said that the owner was paid through the bank, because as a kuniochi she could be gone on missions for months at a time. Apparently she had enough money to stretch it out this far.

Upon reaching the stairs, Sakura looked imploringly at her old sensei, who had the gull to pretend to consider her request before nodding with a smirk. Thanking him with a breath, Sakura pushed herself out of the wheelchair perhaps a little too forcefully. Losing her balance, Sakura hobbled for a few steps, before she was able to right herself. Holding her hands out to stop Naruto and Kakashi from helping her, Sakura started to walk to stairs with a determined glint in her eyes.

She made it to the third floor before she began to breath a little heavier, and frustrated, Sakura felt like cursing. She was ridiculously out of shape, and while Tsunade had not found any cause for it, Sakura was determined to do her own research when she got the chance. Finally reaching her room on the fourth floor, Sakura unlocked the door with an extra key the owner's had kept in the main office downstairs, and had to cover her mouth for all of the dust that seemed to seep through.

Sighing into her mouth, Sakura gave her boys a last wave and a smile, before darting into her room, closing the door behind her. First things first- Sakura opened all of the windows and cracked the blinds as open as they would go. Then, pushing her sleeves up to bunch at her elbows, she got to work cleaning and dusting everything off. It toke hours, and by the time Sakura declared it decent, she was exhausted. Resisting the urge to let out the frustrated scream that had been building up inside her chest all day, Sakura fell like a rock into her bedsheets and slept.

When Sakura came to, she dimly remembered dreams filled with mixed images that didn't make any sense. Pushing herself out of bed, she realized that it was the next day, and morning by the way the sunshine was beaming into her room. Ignoring her aching muscles, and reminding herself that they were inevitable as she slowly regained strength, Sakura got out of bed and headed to her bathroom to take a shower.

Feeling infinitely more relaxed after she was showered and dressed in simple slacks and a t-shirt, Sakura headed to the kitchen while absentmindedly rubbing her stomach. She could only feel the slightest bump, but it still made her smile. Sakura prepared a tea pot on the stove, and ate a piece of fruit that she had brought with her from the hospital. She had cleared what little was left from her fridge and cupboards in the trash yesterday, and planned to visit the marketplace after breakfast.

Sighing, she placed the herbs that Tsunade had given her in a tea cup full of steaming water, adding a few spoonfuls of sugar before stirring absentmindedly. The herbs so far had not been very effective, but Tsunade assured her that this was because she had not moved from the hospital, where all of the sights and smells were the same. Now that she had the power to move around village at will, Tsunade told her that more memories should return. Sakura blew on her tea several times before taking a sip. Mentally, she began to plan.

Her muscles had made themselves a priority, so the library was definitely one of her destinations this morning, before she picked up groceries. She could check out whatever scrolls she figured she would need to research. Among the things she needed to pick up at the marketplace, cleaning supplies were a must. New weapons, if they would permit her to buy them. If they didn't, she would have to smuggle them through. New clothes, definitely- for some reason she felt that her taste in clothing had changed, and was not prompted to wear anything in her closet. Somewhat curious as to what her new look would be, Sakura was dimly excited. Medical supplies that she could keep handy would be a good idea. And then, of course, food. She just hoped that she had enough money for everything that she needed.

Finishing her tea, Sakura set out, a wad of retrieved cash saftely stashed in her left front pocket.

* * *

When she got to the library, Sakura toke a large whiff of the ancient tombs and scrolls and smiled to herself. She loved the smell of libraries.

Moving through the few people that mingled in between the bookcases, Sakura went straight to the medical section, located in the very right back corner that was difficult to place unless you already knew where it was. Shifting through the scrolls, Sakura stopped when she found the one she was looking for. The one ironically labeled, Abuses of the Body: Chemical Responses.

Picking it up, Sakura made her way to the front of the library where she greeted the head librarian by name, before asking to check out the scroll. After it was safely stowed in her pack, Sakura smiled at the woman behind the desk politely, before making her way out of the library, and towards the market.

Somewhat startled by the bombardment of noise that hit her as she got closer to the clusters of people, Sakura started to breath meditatively. Not quite able to grasp why so many people made her uncomfortable- she didn't remember acting like this before- Sakura toke the few steps that led her to the marketplace.

Picking out a stall that was selling cleaning supplies, Sakura was able to bargain her way through the basics relatively inexpensively. She stopped before heading to the weapon's stall, however. Looking around warily, Sakura was able to pinpoint two ANBU that were placed relatively inconspicuously, but Sakura knew better. She had felt them following her since she left her apartment, and inwardly smirking to herself, Sakura shook her head. The council might have as well screamed out their insecurity at her presence. Figuring that asking Naruto or Kakashi for weapons would be easier than the trouble she could get into otherwise, Sakura headed instead to the stall that bore a short, but large-breasted women shouting out prices for kunoichi clothing. She had tanned olive skin, curly dark brown hair, and a somewhat crooked nose.

At her approach the woman gave her a wink coupled with a knowing look, and announced slyly, "You in need of new clothes? I got sales."

Sakura attempted to ignore the way the woman's breasts bounced slightly against her red shirt as she moved towards Sakura imploringly. Instead, Sakura looked the woman directly in the eye, nodded, and steeled herself to begin bargaining.

"Ah, but you have child" the woman stated almost reverently, looking at Sakura's stomach with widened eyes. Sakura was somewhat disturbed that the woman knew this, but nodded in assessment. The woman's grin grew. "Clothes on me" she announced instead, before very quickly going through piles, throwing chosen pieces at Sakura as she found them.

A bemused expression dominating her features, Sakura caught all of the clothes the woman threw her way and gave each of them an assessing look. All of the clothes, strangely enough, were exactly what she was looking for, and in some variation of the colors of red and black . Still confused, but smiling shyly, Sakura asked the woman, "Are you sure?"

"Course!" the woman announced enthusiastically, before pushing the young woman from her booth. "And feel free to visit Nokia-san anytime" she finished, before waving gaily as Sakura walked away, a large pile of clothing in her arms. Sakura decided not to over-analyze the situation, and stopped to stow the enormous bundle of clothes in her pack. Barely able to click the pack closed comfortably, Sakura ran fingers through her long pink hair before heading to a stall that was selling medical supplies.

Absentmindedly buying supplies, and foods that she seemed to have a craving for, Sakura gradually relaxed out of the state that her reaction with "Nokia-san" had caused her. For some reason, she found the woman's presence very comfortable, even when there were so many things about the woman that disturbed her. There was no mistaking the glint of intelligence in the woman's eyes, however, and Sakura was left wondering how much of the woman Nokia-san displayed was an act. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura forced the slightest amount of chakra into her arms to help carry the groceries without it being too much of a strain on her muscles.

Walking out of the marketplace towards her apartment, Sakura stopped as she spotted an ANBU stationed on top of a building to the right of her, but the outfit of the shinobi put her off for a second. It wasn't regulated ANBU wear, she noticed with displeasure. It belonged to a member of ANBU Root.

Wincing suddenly and violently, Sakura was assaulted by a barrage of images that threatened to overwhelm her. Falling to her knees in favor of toppling over, Sakura could feel her head pulsating painfully until finally the images suddenly came together, and much like blanking out, Sakura was attacked with a stream of memories that made her cry out silently.

_"Haruno-san, you are under arrest. Stop now, or we will be forced to take action" a masked ANBU Root member proclaimed impassionately to the Hokage's apprentice, who was currently standing an the division wall that protected the village. It was night, and the only source of light was a waning moon that illuminated both bodies._

_"And who ordered the arrest?" Sakura asked drying, a deep scowl bringing her lips down into a frown. Her back was starting to ache slightly at the weight of her enormous pack, but she shrugged it off. _

_"Danzo-sama" the man stated, "And the council." He waited, body tense, for her to make a move._

_Sakura sighed to herself, and toke the time to briefly run her hands through short pink locks. "Under what charges?" She asked somewhat lazily, forcing any feelings of anxiety or fear down before they had a chance to show through her eyes and change her facial expression._

_"For your physical assault on Danzo-sama, and the accusation from the council that you have crucial and confidential information about the village that you have been leaking to outside sources" the ANBU Root stated without infliction of any kind. Sakura briefly considered the cruel techniques that would be necessary to create such a life-less shell, before she considered the accusations._

_"So, basically, I am being charged with treason" Sakura stated, before crossing her arms together under her chest. The action was familiar, and gave her some small shred of confidence. _

_The man just nodded. He was positive now what actions the woman would take. Treason was punishable by death, so to stay would be nothing short of suicide. Gripping a kunai in his right hand, the ANBU Root prepared himself._

_Sakura saw his movements, and smiled. Danzo-sama, she thought to herself sarcastically. What a load of bull. He and the council were just a bunch of control-crazed murderers. In the far reaches of her mind Sakura felt a stab of pity for Sasuke and Itachi, and the Uchiha's in general._

_Tilting her head slightly, she performed the last seal for the transportation jutsu that she had started when her fingers were in her hair. Still smiling, she could just make out the irritation on the man's face before she disappeared into the night._

Sakura gasped at the memory, prying her hands away from the brown bags, before setting the groceries down in front of her, shaking. Interesting, she thought to herself. The herbs worked.

Still disorientated, Sakura toke measured breaths until she could feel her heartbeat and pulse relax. Now that she was confident that she could rise without toppling over, Sakura gathered the groceries in her arms, and stood up with a groan. It would not do to show such weakness in public, she berated herself. She needed to make her way home, raising as little suspicion as possible.

Walking slowly, she made herself take small, relaxed, and paced steps. After a few minutes, and after eyeing the ANBUs steady presence, however, Sakura figured she could use the illusion to her advantage, and immediately began to slouch, walking almost as if it was physically causing her pain. Which wasn't so difficult considering the muscle aches that continued to rack her body.

Finally reaching her apartment, and ignoring the throbbing that resulted from her journey up the stairs under so much weight, Sakura let down all of her packs with a sigh. Methodically putting the food away, she toke time to consider what she had learned from her regained memory.

Her intuition had been right. The council was certainly up to something, and apparently she was wanted dead for knowing too much. That in itself was not an oddity- she had heard of executions ordered by the council for less. Danzo's involvement didn't really surprise her much either. She had always despised the man, even if it was just for the creation of people like Sai. In any case, this memory was an reminder that she should keep to her toes, just in case.

The only part of the flashback that had caused her any sort of confusion was the mention her brain had made to the Uchihas. She had often felt pity for Sasuke, for losing his family and hating his brother, but since when had she felt pity for Itachi? He murdered his clan, destroying innocent lives without even a just cause. It didn't make any sense, and as Sakura started packing one of her empty medical packs with supplies she figured that this was probably going to bother her for awhile. She had to have found out something about the Uchiha's that said something about Itachi's involvement in the massacre, or perhaps, lack thereof.

Brows furrowed in bemusement, Sakura sighed, and added Itachi and the massacre to her list of things to research. In the mean time though- Sakura threw all of her new clothes in the wash, and sat down comfortably on her couch with the scroll she had checked out of the library. Abuses of the Body: Chemical Responses.

Distantly making a resolve to brew some tea after she was finished, Sakura went immediately to the bottom of the scroll where she could remember a chart listing symptoms and their causes. Looking for anything associated with disintegration of muscles, Sakura was surprised at what she found. Snake Venom. Sakura frowned as she considered that. She couldn't make any assumptions until she could find the report that stated the toxins injected into her at the hospital, but just in case Sakura looked it up and kept reading.

The rest of what she read was not helpful. It listed symptoms she did not have, and then went into detailed instructions about what not to do if someone you know was bitten by a snake. The only possible remedy listed was an anti-venom solution that was common enough to find, but was useless unless you knew what type of snake you were bitten by.

Giving out a huff of frustration, and feeling somewhat better for it, Sakura wrapped the scroll and set it back inside of her pack. Setting her wet clothes out to dry, Sakura went about brewing tea, and making a lunch that she determined to be nutritionally sufficient. In any case, she reminded herself, there were vitamins that she could take that would help her muscles grow without any serious side-affects. Protein especially was important to consume before training.

With a bubble of contained enthusiasm in her chest, Sakura contemplated the start of her training. For the next two weeks she would practice warming up, and strengthening her muscles, but there was so much more that she could be doing. Reminding herself of the importance of patience, Sakura toke a calm breath, and made a cup of tea with a smile.

Collecting the now dried clothes, she set them on her bed to sort through later, failing to notice the small and indistinguished sign of the Uchiha clan stitched to the bottom of every piece.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Crying Shame.**

**Note to Readers: Review if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please. 3**


	3. Questions

"Veritum dies aperit" (Time discovers the truth)

Chapter 3 Questions

Sakura made her way into the hospital with considerable cheer for her bi-weekly check-up, both on her and the baby. Today would be the day where it would be determined whether she was fit enough to start training, and Sakura suffered no qualms. She had spent the last two weeks carefully monitoring her body, rigidly controlling her diet, vitamin intake, and exercise. She had successfully managed to get her body more in shape while avoiding complete exhaustion, and felt the better for it.

Nodding and smiling politely at the woman attending to the front desk, Sakura made her way into waiting room. Very pleased at the improved ease in which she was able to move around in, and her regained sense of balance that seemed to bless her with a certain amount of grace, Sakura sat down on an unoccupied chair away from everyone else. Looking around blankly, her gaze turned to glance out the window, and it was not very long before Sakura was lost in thought.

She had continued taking the herbs that Tsunade had requested of her, but thankfully, there were not any incidences similar to that of the marketplace. Sakura felt a strange surge of apprehension as she thought about it that she did not completely understand. Happy to let the thought drift away from her, she was confronted with the one that had been nagging her for the last two weeks.

She had done what research she could about Itachi and the massacre while remaining as discreet as possible, which was not an easy task. She was sure that someone, whether Danzo or the council, was watching her every move, and would be especially sensitive when it came to information intake. That guaranteed that all of the items she checked out, looked at, or even touched in public would be removed for examination.

This had left Sakura with whatever books or scrolls that was already within the vicinity of her home. At first she had assumed that only the bingo book would contain any useful information, but it appeared that there were a few scrolls very inconspicuously placed on her shelves that were very Uchiha specific. Sakura could not remember how they got to be there, though, and concluded that this was the second time she was performing such research.

The scrolls, however interesting, did not answer her direct questions, however, and were thus momentarily discarded. One, for example, explained various techniques of the Sharingan, and the advantages and disadvantages that could be found using it. While Sakura was severely intrigued, both at the information and how such a rare and potentially dangerous scroll made its way into her home, nothing was mentioned that had any correlation with the Uchiha prodigy. Likewise another scroll gave a lengthy and detailed description of the founding of the village, the Uchiha's involvement in it, and the stickiness of the politics that ensued following its creation. Sakura read the piece at length, twice even in some parts, but was forced to put it down after it became obvious that Itachi was not mentioned.

Sighing at the window somewhat exasperatingly, Sakura was planning for other ways of obtaining information when the door opened on the other side of the room, and a nurse called her name in a short, clipped voice. Getting up, she made her way towards the door, and followed the nurse inside. Smiling absentmindedly, Sakura was able to appreciate that the nurse attending to her was not a brunette, but had long, beautiful blond hair. Wait...

"Ino-pig?" Sakura asked, startling the nurse out of whatever revere she had been in. Said nurse turned swiftly around, before glaring at Sakura with narrow eyes.

"Only my best friend is allowed to call me that, thank you very much" Ino growled, subconsciously clenching her clipboard in grip that must have been painful. Sakura was struck between being amused, and remorseful. Waiting a few moments, Sakura noticed that Ino's expression had not changed, and that there was an air of seriousness around her that caused Sakura to visibly deflate.

"I'm sorry, Ino" was all Sakura could bring herself to say.

"As if that solves anything" Ino retorted angrily, before whipping back around. "Now if you will follow me..." She was cut off by Sakura's obviously upset remark.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me Ino-pig!" Sakura cried out, suddenly and unexplainably desperate at the result of Ino's retreat. "Don't you dare!" she said again as the girl spun around for the second time.

"And why not, Sa-ku-ra? I assumed that you would be very familiar with the gesture by now. Am I making you uncomfortable?" Ino sniped unpleasantly, her lips pulled back in a scowl, hands now placed on her hips.

"They were going to kill me, Ino. I had to leave" Sakura stated, tears starting to fall through angry eyes, gently and silently as they streamed down her cheeks. Sakura barely felt them in her desperation, her hands clenched together in front of her in frustration.

"What?" Ino asked, startled, rapidly losing any anger she had from both Sakura's words and at the sight of Sakura's tears. She tried to fight it, to grasp at the shreds of anger before they left her, but they were gone all too soon, and she was left with disappoint and fear in their place.

"I had no choice" Sakura reiterated, sincerity positively shining from her features. Silence resonated around the two kunoichi for the next few moments.

Then Ino huffed, knowing that she was going to end up believing the pink-haired woman in the end anyway. So instead of attacking her, she asked "Who? Who was going to kill you?" Ino thought that it was an appropriate question. A way to measure the amount of trust Sakura put in her. From her answer, she could determine the direction of their friendship.

Sakura appeared stumped for a few moments, and Ino toke her silence negatively. Turning around, Ino tried to brush off the disappointment and depression that was welling up inside of her, before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she glared at Sakura. "What?" she spat.

Sakura nodded slowly several times, before moving to give her a hug. Ino flinched and tried to move back, but Sakura stopped her with a flash in her eyes. Wrapping her arms around the resistant and clearly uncomfortable med-nin, Sakura stated quietly in Ino's right ear, "I have been followed since I was released from the hospital. If you really want to know, we will have to travel to a more secure destination." Giving Ino one last squeeze, Sakura stepped back to look at the blond.

Ino was once again startled, but after she had a moment to collect herself, she nodded in assessment in Sakura's direction. Sakura gave her a nod in return, before gesturing in front of her pointedly with one hand. Ino toke Sakura's hand in her own, pleased to see the surprised smile that crossed Sakura's face, before leading Sakura further into the hospital confidently.

"So what has my Billboard Brow been up to these last... what, two years? Kami, you need to learn to visit" Ino asked conversationally, happiness blooming in her chest to the point that she almost radiated in good-humor.

Sakura had to raise a brow at the suggestion. "You really think Missing-nins have the luxury to visit?" she asked in a disbelieving tone, although she, too, could feel happiness blossom. Absentmindedly, she rubbed away her tears with her free hand, and sniffled.

"I'm sure you could make time" Ino assured Sakura, pushing through a group of interns that were talking in the middle of the hallway.

Sakura couldn't help herself- stopping Ino with a smile, she turned around in front of the group that were by now collectively giving her a dirty look. She walked towards them, strutting confidently. "Excuse me, shouldn't you be working?" Sakura asked through a strained smile.

"How is that any of your business?" one of the guys announced as he pushed himself into the front of the group. He was tall, had short, dark brown hair, and very obviously plucked eyebrows. The others seemed to crowd around him, expressing their support for him by leering at her.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. Never would she have considered that she would receive such insubordination in _her _hospital. And by the employees no less. "I will ask you one more time. Why are you not working? And why are you taking up valuable space in the middle of the hallway?" Sakura asked carefully, her voice growing steadily louder as she continued to talk, until she was almost shouting at the finish.

"And I asked you how it was any of your business" the boy in front of her reiterated sarcastically. He stared down at her mockingly, grinning for a few seconds as one of his friends punched him in the shoulder lightly, before attempting to stare down at her. As if it was even possible for her to be intimidated by one such as him, Sakura thought to herself darkly.

Stepping forward, she gave him the chance to see a satisfied smirk cross her face before he was thrown through a hole in the wall with a chakra-powered punch, Sakura's fist already retracted to her side by the time the rest of the interns were able to look at her. She looked at the rest of them, still smiling, with excited anticipation shining in her eyes.

They frittered away as quick as their limbs could carry them, and thoroughly satisfied with herself, Sakura caught up to an amused Ino. "You know someone is bound to hold that against you in the future" the blond stated somewhat sardonically, wrapping her arm around Sakura's. Sakura hummed nonchalantly in response.

"Sakura!" a loud and obviously displeased voice came from the other end of the hallway. Looking over her shoulder, Sakura had resist swearing when she saw Tsunade angrily staring at a recently made hole in the wall.

Leading Ino towards her teacher, Sakura responded, "Yes, shishou?"

Tsunade looked pointedly at the hole in the wall, before turning towards Sakura. "Do you mind explaining this?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"A group of interns were taking up valuable space in the middle of the hallway to socialize. I asked them politely, twice, to vacant themselves, but they resisted from doing so" Sakura stated, dimly irritated at the amount of amusement that was coming out of the blond attached to her left.

"That is all right and fine, but it doesn't explain the hole" Tsunade stated through narrow eyes, crossing her arms together underneath her chest.

"Well, he was the one who made himself a ringleader, and thus he was the one that I had to make an example of" Sakura pouted. Tsunade had to resist from rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"You will personally make sure that this hole gets patched, do you hear me? I want it so well done, that it looks like there was never a hole there in the first place" Tsunade ordered with a frown.

"Yes shishou" Sakura responded immediately.

Shaking her head tiredly, Tsunade just gestured that she and the blond follow her. "Your check-up will be here" the Hokage pointed at the room in front of her. "I will be checking you personally after Yamanaka-san gives you a simple physical. Understood?" Tsunade asked the two girls in front of her.

Sakura nodded her assessment, and Ino replied with a bow, "Yes, Hokage-sama." Shaking her head, Tsunade walked away.

* * *

Sakura sat on the cold and paper-covered examination table, scarcely dressed in a green hospital gown, with extreme displeasure. Frowning angrily at the ground, she had to resist huffing when Ino stepped into the room assertively carrying a clipboard, amusement practically shining off of her.

"This will only take a few minutes" Ino reminded Sakura with a smirk, setting the clipboard on the counter before approaching the pink-haired young woman with a stethoscope. Sakura only scowled. Sighing, Ino began to ramble about bits and pieces of gossip she had recently picked up in hopes of distracting her patient as she began the movements of a typical physical. Sakura listened with half an ear, letting her mind wander

"And that horrible woman was sentenced to three years of jail-time, although if you ask me, that wasn't enough by far. She deserved at least five; ten if you had a heart, which of course the jury..." Sakura searched the ceiling, ignoring the uncomfortable tension that grew in her arm as Ino calculated her blood pressure.

"You have heard about the recent village petitions, right? Well, this one guy was upset about the fact that his neighbor's cow kept escaping from its pen in order to eat his lilac bushes, so he wants to push for a law demanding villagers to have a more secure control of their animals, even though his own chickens are known to wreak havoc up and down his street. And a village woman was complaining about the Uchiha Compound, saying that a perfectly good plot of land was not being used, and without good reason. Guess the effects of the massacre have finally worn off..." Sakura's internal musing stopped the moment she heard Ino say the Uchiha Compound, and she found herself unable to not interrupt her.

"The Uchiha Compound?" Sakura asked with interest, all traces of her previously fowl mood vanished. Inwardly, Sakura was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. What a better place to research than where it all started? Mentally reprimanding herself for not thinking of it before, Sakura was already starting to form plans about how she would be able to sneak into the compound and conduct her research without the notice of the ANBU.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Typical Sakura. Anything Uchiha related, and you are as attentive as a hawk. Yes, the Uchiha Compound. Some village women want to get rid of it."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "What?" she asked tersely.

"You heard me" Ino said, acting nonchalantly even as she observed Sakura closely with intelligent eyes.

From deep within her, Sakura felt an unexplainable burst of rage at the notion, and she tensed her fists tightly as she stated, "I will not let them". Bright determination glinted in her eyes following the declaration.

The intensity of Sakura's statement startled and surprised Ino greatly, and she unconsciously crossed her arms under her chest loosely in confusion. "Why do you care so much?" Ino asked with bemused facial features.

Sakura's gaze fell, and she became abruptly quiet. Why was she so upset? What importance did the compound have for her except for a source of information? It couldn't be for Sasuke- Sakura had let go of him years and years ago. But what Ino had said about her attentiveness towards Uchihas... she was over Sasuke, right? Sakura racked her brain for the memories she knew had to be in there somewhere, but was coming up with naught. Sakura quickly became frustrated, but keep trying while Ino waiting patiently for her to say something.

An uncomfortably familiar sensation washed over Sakura, and yelling out, Sakura instinctively resisted the pressure that was threatening to wash her away. Closing her eyes and gasping as enormous pains in her head started to explode; Sakura grasped the edges of the examination table as tightly as her hands would allow her as an assault of sounds, lights, and smells crashed into her.

Within moments the attacks came together, and Sakura quickly felt removed from the hospital, spiraling into what was sure to be another memory.

_Sakura could feel the blood trickle down from the corner of her lips, to her chin, and finally to the forest floor. Panting laboriously, and ignoring the throbbing of her various wounds, she began to look around herself meticulously for the last especially elusive hunter-nin. Sighting the slightest of movement a few feet northeast of her, Sakura stepped away from the security of giant oak cautiously, stepping over the battered and bleeding bodies that littered the forest floor. _

_The round kick to her head surprised her for the few moments her mind allowed her to be surprised, before practice toke over consciousness, and Sakura arm came up to block the blow. Retaliating with a kick to the shinobi's unguarded side, she had to avoid wincing as his block painfully connected with a bruise that was growing on her shin. Making a swipe as the man's shoulder with her right arm, Sakura gathered chakra into her left fist and plowed it into the now unprotected chest area. The man's bone and muscle tissue crunched together with an uncomfortable sucking sound, and Sakura was thankful of the few feet he had flown as blood began to spout from the cavity. _

_Crouching into a defensive position, Sakura quickly scanned the area for any chakra signals she could have missed, and then listened attentively for any shinobi that might be masking their chakra. Sensing and hearing nothing, Sakura slowly sank to the ground beside her medical bag, after checking to make sure that all of the bodies that littered the ground were without life._

_Pumping just enough chakra into her body to assess it for any medical extremities, Sakura gave herself a few moments of rest before standing and slinging her bags over her shoulders with a grunt. Taking a few steps forward, Sakura began to head off in a direction she hoped would have a water source, before a prickle at the back of her neck stopped her. Absentmindedly rubbing some blood that had pooled on top of her cheek, she warily turned to face the direction that the sense had come from._

_It did not take long for the source to make itself known, and when she saw them, she had to bit her lip to keep from swearing._

_Two cloaked Akatsuki, their bamboo hats carefully hiding any distinguishable features, slowly made their way towards her, and Sakura had to resist the urge to flee. Instead, she crouched into a defensive position and waited as they came closer. It was only when they were a few feet away that Sakura was able to recognize them. Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame. Taking a deep breath, Sakura worked to steady and calm herself. _

_She stared at them, waiting, tense as a kitten ready to pounce, but they just stared back. Seconds went by, and then minutes, and in frustration, Sakura stood from her defensive position. Sighing loud enough for them to hear, and ignoring the voice in her head that told her she was a fool, Sakura toke a few step towards them and asked in what she hoped sounded like an assertive voice, "Do you know where the nearest water source is? I am not very familiar with the region."_

_They both gave her what she toke to be an odd look, although it was difficult to decipher underneath their hats, and looked at each other solemnly. Communicating silently, and without gestures, Sakura watched the exchange gravely. It was over in under a minute, and Sakura was somewhat startled when they removed their hats. Kisame turned around away from her, and Itachi looked at her briefly before saying, "Follow us" in a voice so soft Sakura had to strain to hear it. Than Itachi too turned around, and together to pair shot off into the forest. _

_Brushing off her astonishment, Sakura used the six months she had spent as a Missing-nin running around to her advantage, and was able to keep up with the Akatsuki pair, albeit painfully. For ten minutes they sprinted in what direction she guessed was east, towards Rain, before the pair abruptly stopped. Looking around them curiously, Sakura could she the sparkle that reflected off of the stream's surface as it was hit by the sun. She approached the water somewhat tentatively, crouching and allowing a few fingers to brush the surface. Pulling her fingers back in surprised wonder, she realized that the water they had brought her to was warm. The lasting effects of a dying hot springs, she concluded to herself._

_Standing up straight, Sakura turned until she faced the pair that were staring at her with guarded expressions. Giving them her brightest smile, she said, "Thank you very much." The pair gave her another odd look, before Itachi nodded towards her politely. Ignoring any warnings or concerns that were bubbling to the surface of her mind about nonchalantly allowing herself to be in the presence of such assassins, Sakura turned back to the water. Washing the extremely blooded parts of her body, clothes and all, she dismissed Itachi and Kisame, figuring that if they were there to kill her they would have done it already. _

_Sighing loudly to herself as she finished, she turned to find that the two shinobi had sat down comfortably beneath the shade of a tree a few feet away. Itachi had an arm on one knee, the other leg stretched out, and was gazing at the surface of the water with a bored expression. Kisame, on the other hand, was sprawled out on the grass, eyes closed, and hands crossed underneath his head. Sakura had the strangest urge to smile in amusement as she saw them._

_Approaching the Akatsuki pair with slow and considerate steps, Sakura plopped herself down unceremoniously a few feet away from them. Without stopping to see their reaction, Sakura unbuckled and untied her many straps that kept her bags from coming off of her, and set them down on the ground beside her. Reaching into her medical bag, she pulled out bandages and disinfectants to wrap around the wounds she determined shallow enough to heal on their own. Stretching her arms out in front of her, Sakura sighed contently as a breeze, warmed from surface of the water, passed to caress her face, before she got down to work repairing herself._

_After she was determined that she was appropriately wrapped, Sakura gathered healing chakra into her right hand, and slowly, but efficiently worked to heal the larger and more serious of the cuts. After they had disappeared from existence altogether, she put her supplies away and reached into another pack for some food that she had saved from the visit to a village marketplace she had made a few days ago. Setting the food around her like a picnic, and she mused to herself at the thought, she looked over at the brooding pair. Itachi was still gazing pointedly at the water, but Kisame had sat up and was staring at her curiously. _

_"Would you like some?" she asked them politely, gesturing towards the food in front of her, looking at Kisame when she asked. _

_Kisame grunted, scooted the few feet towards her, and picked up a piece of bread warily. Giving it a critical glance, and sniffing it, he evidently determined in sufficient as he plopped the piece into his mouth. Sakura smirked at him as he did a similar inspection to a piece of fruit, before looking over at the sulking Uchiha. "Itachi?" she asked imploringly._

_Itachi turned to face her, before shaking his head politely, and turning back to look at the water. "You should eat" Sakura reiterated, her voice a tad harder as she toke in the Uchiha. He was extremely thin, fit, but his body mass was bordering on unhealthy, even sickly. He evidently wasn't eating enough, and Sakura's medic-nin side was quick to take over as she considered how she could get an unwilling patient to cooperate. _

_Itachi ignored her this time, and Sakura turned towards Kisame in exasperation. "What?" the blue man asked through a mouthful of food, clearly stating that this was her problem. Sighing, Sakura determined that forcing someone as powerful as Itachi was nothing but foolhardy, so instead picked up an apple and threw it at Itachi hard enough to hurt._

_Itachi caught it with astounding speed, and turned to look at Sakura with a raised brow._

_"Eat" Sakura stated, her own brow raised in expectation._

_Itachi appeared to consider her request before determining that an argument wasn't worth it. Taking a deep enough bite out of the apple to prove a point, he turned back to the stream. Sakura smiled in self-satisfaction, before taking a sizable bite out of a piece of cheese._

_They ate in relative silence, until the food was all but depleted, mostly because of Kisame. Sakura did not mind, however, and was happy when Itachi appeared willing to eat a few more pieces of food she flung his way. Packing up what was left in one of her bags, Sakura was at a loss for what to do. It seemed as if Itachi and Kisame had approached her for a reason, although she could be wrong. In any case it didn't feel like she was simply allowed to walk away. So she sat there, waiting, gradually taken to watching the canopy of leaves above her dance in and out of the light whenever a breeze hit._

_As time passed Sakura began to relax, and sat back on the grass, letting the grip she had on the straps of her bag fall loose. Resisting the urge to doze, Sakura sat there comfortably, until a soft voice reached her from a few feet away. "What happened?" Itachi asked, looking at her slashed hitai-ite with what could have been a spark of curiosity, although it was quickly masked by a determinedly bored expression._

_Sakura was surprised by Itachi's question and it toke a minute to process in her mind, simply because it was something that Sasuke would never have asked, and therefore unexpected. But, Sakura scowled at herself mentally, this is not Sasuke. This is Itachi, and should be treated as such. Therefore she toke the time to stop for a moment and ponder the question, before responding simply and with one word. "Danzo."_

_Sakura could see the beginnings of intrigue light Itachi's eyes, and could sense strongly that he was going to drill her for information until he was satisfied. If she had been in his place, she was sure that she would have done the same. Therefore it came as little surprise when he stated, his smooth voice still barely above a whisper, "Elaborate please."_

_Sakura gave Itachi a quick, assessing look, before replying, a smirk curling her lips back sardonically. "Danzo convinced the council that I was withholding precious information about the village that could have only been found in the locked and restricted sections hidden in the walls in one particular council room that was never empty. He also eluded that I was handing out mentioned information to other countries."_

_Itachi raised his a brow in reply._

_"Needless to say" Sakura continued, fingering the slash in her hitai-ite as she spoke, "I was put under a warrant for an arrest that would have assuredly led to my execution." Chuckling darkly, Sakura added, "Being declared a traitor to my village, and threatened with death was certainly a strong enough incentive for me to leave."_

_Itachi toke a few moments to reply, and when he did, his question sounded almost hesitant. "Did you break into the council room?"_

_Sakura's smirk grew almost wolf-like. "Of course I did" Sakura stated, staring at Itachi with excited eyes. "Doesn't mean that they had any physical proof that I had done it, though. I had strongely disagreed with Danzo in the past about his methods of training, and when a bill came out that would permanently disband his gang, I jumped on it. It didn't get passed, but I managed to turn many politicians against him, and so he seeked to get rid of me."_

_Sakura paused long enough to notice a butterfly hovering over the water, before she continued, "His first attempts were innocent enough. Subtly encouraging the Hokage to send me on various diplomatic missions that would take years to complete. Pressuring the council to up the standards in the hospital, so that, as head supervisor, I would be required to oversee that all of the changes toke place smoothly. Eventually his threats grew more intense."_

_Sakura tilted her head, and finished with, "It led to him jumping at a rumor that had spread around the village about select individuals possessing knowledge that they could not have possibly possessed. Danzo figured that in my distraught state over Sasuke's bullshit I would have wanted all of the information pertaining to the Uchiha's that I could, and he accused me of such." Sakura looked towards Itachi expectantly for a response of any kind._

_Itachi expression was guarded as he clarified, "Sasuke's bullshit?"_

_Sakura had to resist smiling as she heard the swear word leaving the Uchiha prodigy's mouth, but managed to respond to the question seriously. "He was my genin teammate, before he left for Orochimaru looking for power in order to kill you. Naruto, me, Sasuke, and Kakashi, Team Seven" Sakura finished half-heartedly, making a peace sign to herself with her fingers somewhat absentmindedly. _

_"Then he left us, and started to act even more like a cocky, arrogant bastard. And if that wasn't enough, he tried to kill us at one of Orochimaru's bases a few years ago" Sakura said, unable to stop her hand from curling into a fist. "Bullshit" Sakura reiterated, looking Itachi directly in the eye as she said it._

_"You sound pretty bitter" Kisame said from his place a few feet away, his eyes still closed, and his hands sitting protectively over his stomach. Sakura smiled in response._

_"So shouldn't you be mad at Itachi?" Kisame asked casually._

_"Why?" Sakura asked with a tilt of her head and a bemused expression dominating her features._

_Kisame seemed unwilling to clarify himself, and waved at her lazily a few times as if trying to tell her to forget it. Sakura attempted to answer his question anyways._

_"Sasuke is his own person. He chose to be a jackass. Itachi didn't teach him to be one" Sakura said assertively, looking towards the Uchiha to see his reaction. Itachi seemed to be ignoring her, looking into the distance beside her head. Sakura huffed in mild irritation to herself, before crossing her arms underneath her chest due to habit. She surmised that she was impatient because the people she chose to hang around with before she left Konoha, mainly Naruto and Ino, were loud mouthed and would never miss the opportunity to refute anything she said. She just wasn't used to quiet, non-committal responses given by the two in front of her._

_"So is that what you wanted?" Sakura asked, trying to relax her suddenly restless legs._

_This time, both men turned to look at her square in the face. "Who said we wanted anything?" Kisame grunted. Itachi seemed to agree with Kisame's question without saying or doing anything._

_"No one, I guess" Sakura said awkwardly, suddenly feeling very foolish and childish all at once. Displeased with the feeling, Sakura stretched out on top of her stomach, picking at the grass with her fingers. Deciding, together, that she strangely enjoyed the silent company of the Akatsuki pair, and that she did not have to feel so bored, Sakura got out a medical scroll and began to read. _

_Barely an hour passed before Sakura's conscience got the better of her. Sitting up and putting her scroll away in one of her bags, she decided that waiting for Itachi and Kisame to announce the reason for their presence was impossible. And, she reasoned, they had stated that they didn't want anything from her. While she did not believe them in the slightest, she recognized that their answer gave her permission to leave whenever she felt necessary. Sick of the anxiety that had begun to pool in the pit of her stomach as a result of her ignorance, she got up and made way to leave._

_She had barely taken a few steps away from the stream when Itachi's smooth voice stopped her. "Kunoichi" he called, and Sakura turned around to face him expectantly. He paused, unnecessarily she thought to herself, for a few minutes before saying, "We require medical assistance." _

_Sakura brows furrowed. She was sure, after watching them, that neither Itachi nor Kisame had any grievous wounds, at least none that would need any immediate attention._

_Itachi seemed to understand her confusion and stated,"One of our comrades. He is located in a base close to here. We were sent to find someone who could assist him- when we left he was bleeding profusely."_

_Sakura appeared dumbfounded for a few moments, before her surprise dissolved and her lips curled back in anger and irritation. "We_ _have been here for hours" she breathed through clenched teeth, "And you ask me now? Who can say if he is still alive?" Out the corner of her eye Sakura could see Kisame grin, but maintained her stare towards Itachi, who raised a brow. _

_They said nothing._

_Sakura growled._

_After a few moments, Sakura's frustration got the better of her, and she asked, "So where is he?" Itachi looked at Kisame for a second before looking back at her. _

_"You are going to have to close your eyes" he stated aloofly, stepping towards her. Sakura bit her lip as a wave of anxiety shot through her at the idea of not being able to see in the presence of the Akatsuki. It was a matter of trust, she thought to herself bitterly. She could potentially help a seriously injured person, more than likely saving his life, which was something she had promised to herself that she would try to do for anyone without discrimination. The circumstances put her at risk, however; she could easily be captured, tortured, raped, or killed with little say involved. _

_"Kunoichi?" Itachi asked as he came to stand beside her. _

_"Sakura" Sakura responded, swallowing hard and closing her eyes. He did not respond, but put one hand over her eyes and another behind the small in her back. His hands were pleasantly cool, and helped to calm the strange torrent of anxiety and anticipation that had begun to sweep her away. She had barely a few moments more to relax, before she felt a strange pulling sensation, Itachi's hands pressing more forcefully into her skin. Then, a sudden jolt in her head, a loud dizzying sensation..._

Sakura awoke from the memory slowly, a lingering coolness, almost like water, over her eyes where she remembered Itachi's hands being, and a strange jolt disturbing her stomach. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she noticed Ino and Tsunade peering at her barely inches away, both with very concerned expressions covering their faces.

"Sakura?" Tsunade was the first to ask. Her tone was hesitant, and Sakura had to wonder why, dimly, in the back of her mind behind the syncopated throbbing.

"Hm?" was her noncommittal response as she suddenly became aware of a pulsating sensation in her hands. Looking down she noticed that they were still in a deathly grip with the table edge, and Sakura pried her fingers loose with a wince. A few minutes of silence passed before, impatient, Sakura demanded, "What?"

This response seemed to satisfy the two women, and Ino rushed to give Sakura a hug before she left the room. Tsunade closed the door behind her before approaching Sakura.

"Is that the first time this has happened?" she asked in a cool tone, which managed to sound more like a statement.

Sakura shook her head.

Tsunade frowned in displeasure. "Didn't I tell you to find me and talk to me about it?"

Sakura looked Tsunade square in the eyes as she responded. "You did, but I didn't have anything to tell you. Everything I remembered was pretty obvious- Danzo and the council were successful in getting rid of me."

Tsunade just looked at Sakura for awhile, almost as if she were debating whether to give her words merit, before she sighed loudly. "So what did you learn this time?" she asked, placing a chair in front of Sakura and sitting in it, her body strained with obvious exhaustion.

Sakura resisted curling her lips in irritation. She would have much preferred to go over the memory by herself, in minute detail, before discussing it with anyone. Realistically, however, she realized that she didn't have the luxury. "A lot" she stated vaguely.

Tsunade evidently didn't have the patience. "Explain, Sakura" she commanded, sitting up from the chair slightly as she asked.

Sakura explained the memory, a distant part of her brain able to appreciate Itachi's polite treatment of her, which she admitted was refreshing considering the temperaments of all of her companions in Konoha.

Tsunade listened patiently, and Sakura resisted from fidgeting after she had finished.

"Well" Tsunade said to fill the silence, before pausing. She sighed and continued with, " I don't understand some of your actions." Sakura just stared at her mentor, and Tsunade realized that she would have to elaborate. "How could you possibly act so nonchalant with those people? Especially Itachi- I thought you hated him. Hated him because he murdered his clan. Hated him for poisoning Sasuke."

Sakura's brows furrowed and she continued to look at Tsunade with a slight tilt of head. "I don't blame him" she finally said, sounding tired as she said it.

"How do you not blame him? What other information do you have?" Tsunade pressed, and as Sakura thought, her headache grew. She didn't know why she had felt so comfortable with Itachi in her memory. Tsunade was right- she used to hate him. What had changed? What else was she missing? Even now, when Sakura thought about Itachi, without these supposed facts, all she felt for him was compassion and understanding.

There was a missing link- she could feel it. With a strong sense of urgency, she realized that she needed to find out what it was. Suddenly remembering the idea she had had earlier about researching in the Uchiha Compound, she looked to Tsunade and said, "I don't know. Those facts weren't included in my memory. But I know somewhere where I might be able to figure it out."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in expectation, and crossed her arms underneath her chest, leaning back in her chair.

"The Uchiha Compound" Sakura announced, an urge to visit it already welling up from inside of her.

Tsunade just looked at her for a few minutes, before sighing again and approaching her with a stethoscope. She finished the physical, and then felt around with the stethoscope on her stomach for a few minutes in search of the baby. She stopped on the area just above of a belly button, before nodding to herself. Looking up at Sakura she said, "I will see what I can do. In the meantime, however, continue to take your vitamins, your herbs" here she stopped to give Sakura a pointed look, "and I suppose after that display in the hallway it would be unfair for me not to allow you to train."

Sakura could not help but grin in response.

"At the moment, though, I am ordering you to go home and rest" Tsunade asserted sternly, although she could feel herself soften at the sight of the young girl's smile.

Sakura nodded, still smiling, and hopped off of the table. Wobbling a little as she lost her balance from the pain still in her head, Sakura gave her thanks, waved, and turned to leave the hospital.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Would be lovely. But no. I am denied.**

**Note to Readers: Review if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please. 3**


	4. Expectations

"Veritum dies aperit" (Time discovers the truth)

Chapter 4 Expectations

A huff of frustration came out of Sakura's lips amongst heavy pants as the rose-haired kunoichi was forced to block a kick to her stomach by crossing her arms in front of her, taking the blunt of the blow. She attempted to retaliate with a jump front kick to her opponent's head, but before her foot could reach contact, she was forced to block another blow to her stomach. Crying out, Sakura jumped forward a second time with a chakra-loaded punch, but was forced to turn last minute as a kick almost came in contact with her head.

Sufficiently annoyed, Sakura jumped back a fair distance and waited until her opponent was so far ahead of her... Now. She punched the earth with a loud exclamation of breath, and darted towards the trees under the cover brought by the cloud of dust. Now safely in the branches of an oak a few yards away, Sakura attempted to quiet her breathing and mask her chakra while feeling for any other presence.

Silence reined over the training grounds until a gruff voice managed to reach her through the trees.

"Alright Sakura, that's enough for today" Kakashi stated, regarding a sulking Naruto sitting cross-legged on the ground with amusement. Sakura appeared moments later on his other side and Kakashi turned and gave her an encouraging smile. "That was good. It didn't look like it, but did any of his kicks manage to reach your stomach?" he asked, regarding his exhausted student with latent affection.

She grinned up at him with obvious satisfaction. "Nope" she answered, reaching up to put her sweaty bangs behind her ears absentmindedly, before turning towards the unusually quiet blonde. "I didn't manage to get any hits in edgewise, though. Right Naruto?" she added, plopping herself down beside her teammate while still smiling broadly. The teammate in question nodded his head with growing energy, before he finally burst.

"Only because I tried my damnest. Seriously Sakura, what happened? Your fighting style has... changed. You are so intense now, I can barely keep up" Naruto's face reflected all of his obvious distress and confusion. He looked at her imploringly as if expecting answers.

Sakura was at a loss for what to say. After her muscles had finally healed, she had noticed her quickened reflexes, the increased power of her kicks and punches, and her quickened speed with puzzlement. She didn't take too much time to ponder over it though- the improvement was welcome, and she had other things on her mind that were more worthy of her trepidation. But now that she was being asked about the source... with irritation she realized that she couldn't remember.

"You tend to learn things rather quickly when your life is on the line" Kakashi answered for her, sitting down with his students with a serious expression assuming control over his features. Both of them looked away at his words, Sakura at the ground and Naruto towards the sky, faces echoing their sensei's.

"I can't even imagine how strong teme is then" Naruto stated solemnly, still gazing upwards. At the subtle mention of Sasuke, Kakashi looked towards Sakura expectedly, and was surprised to see that her expression did not change.

It toke a moment, but she finally glanced up and said, "Naruto". Once she was sure she had his attention, she looked him square in the eye and announced, "I believe in you. You have us, you know? Me, Kakashi, Hinata, and everyone else. Sasuke doesn't have that".

Naruto's face was conflicted at her words. "He does have us though! He just doesn't realize it" Naruto attempted to defend the Uchiha with a stubborn frown. Sakura just sighed.

"Doesn't deserve it" was all she offered in response before standing and stretching her legs out a bit. She turned to each of her boys and smiled. "Thanks for the lesson Kakashi. You could be a teacher for pregnant kunoichi everywhere" she stated wryly with a wink. "I think I will head in now, though. See you both for lunch tomorrow?" Sakura asked with a softening smile.

"Of course" Naruto responded for them both, a bright grin once again on his face although his eyes still betrayed his confliction. Sakura nodded to him happily before giving a final wave and walking away. Naruto's smile dropped and he rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "I feel old" he declared to Kakashi, yawning broadly.

"It happens" Kakashi replied lazily, his feet spread out in front of him. He gave Naruto an attempt at a reassuring smile, before he reached into his back pocket and grabbed a small, bright orange book. Naruto growled in exasperation at the sight of it, before shaking his head, and leaning in to read the fine print over his sensei's shoulder.

* * *

Sakura plopped down unceremoniously on her couch in her small apartment, gathering blankets around her while pulling her wet hair back into a thick braid. I really need to get it cut, she thought to herself tiredly, before releasing a soft sigh. She leaned over and picked up her steaming mug of tea from the stand next to the couch, and cupping it in her hands, toke a long drink.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura laid her head down on the arm rest on the end of the couch and closed her eyes. Repeating the word "relax" like a mantra inside her head, Sakura soon realized that anything close to meditation was impossible with the sheer number of thoughts floating around in the inside of her head. Letting out a soft, amused snort at her misfortune, Sakura let all of her musings pour into her head.

First of all, she was very worried. It had been two months since she had received her last memory, and she was beginning to think that it would never come. Of course she was curious as to what happened- she was being led blindfolded into an Akatsuki base by herself. Nothing good could come out of something like that. The reason she was so afflicted about it, though, was that the Hokage kept pressuring her to discuss it, sure that she had been receiving the memories but was refusing to talk about it. The fact that her once trusted teacher would have such a lack of faith in her managed to stress her out a little bit.

That was not the only reason for her anxiety, though. Sakura saw with satisfaction that the women's proposal towards the destruction of the Uchiha Compound was denied- curiously defended by the council members themselves. This strengthened Sakura's belief that there was proof in there somewhere as to what really occurred during the massacre, and as to why Itachi's presence had not bothered her at all in her memory. To her immense frustration, however, she had not yet managed to shake the ANBU that were trailing after her long enough to visit the compound for herself. The Hokage remained equally unhelpful, stating that so close to the baby's birth, now was the wrong time to go exploring.

This, now that Sakura thought about it, was somewhat reasonable. Already she was seven months pregnant, and it definitely showed. She was just past the stage where people could get away with just thinking that she was overweight- girls her age and her height did not normally obtain pot bellies this large this quickly. This was sometimes a comfort- it seemed that pregnant women were treated with more courtesy than not in this village. And Sakura soon found that she enjoyed being pregnant- she managed to skip all of those awful puking stages in a coma, and now she found that just thinking about her child managed to relax her somewhat. She loved her baby.

A lot of problems were attached to the poor thing, though, Sakura thought to herself. The biggest being the identity of the father. Sakura still had no idea who he was- she sometimes tried to imagine herself with different men, and how she would feel about finding out that it was him, that he had impregnated her with a child. She found herself strangely repulsed by all of them, however, which only added to her confusion.

She had the strangest feeling that Kakashi and Naruto believed that the father was Sasuke, though. She had caught them whispering to themselves, sometimes with Sai and sometimes without, stopping as soon as they caught sight of her. And the way that Naruto not so subtly kept bringing him up, he and Kakashi intent upon discovering a reaction… It made Sakura strangely angry, the way they were dancing around the subject. She had not acted in her vexation, however, patient to just let the baby be born and see how it worked out from there. Rubbing her hand over her plump stomach with affection, Sakura smiled until another thought hit her.

She had, with Ino's help, managed to uncover the list of toxins that were removed from her body three months ago from the hospital's records. To her uneasiness, snake venom had been on the list. A very particular kind of snake venom, however, one extracted from a snake that was very widely known- the one favored by Orochimaru, and extracted by Kabuto. One that Sound was known to have for sale on the black market. The fact that this particular poison was administered into her blood stream could mean that the council members, or perhaps Danzo, were engaging with secret correspondence with Sound. Sakura didn't want to think of the implications that such an accord could bring.

She did face the realization, however, that it was likely that this venom was still in her blood stream and thus the baby's. She was not sure what the consequences of this would be yet- would they be immune from that particular snake in the future, or would they suffer as the venom slowly wore away at their muscles and their heart? It was difficult to say, and Sakura found herself pushing it towards the back of her mind. No need to stress herself out over what is to come.

Taking another long sip of tea, Sakura suddenly felt the urge to go to the restroom. Setting her mug down on the stand carefully, Sakura stood up and slowly made her way around the coffee table, waddling slightly. Reaching the bathroom, she did her business before washing her hands and her face. Letting the cool water slide down around her cheeks, Sakura was instantly reminded of Itachi's hands.

She realized with angst upon opening her eyes, however, that the colors of her bathroom where swirling into irregular patterns, and that her head and heart were pounding must faster than they ever should have the right to. Suddenly dizzy, Sakura let herself slide onto the floor, catching herself on the cold tile with wet hands. Letting out a small moan of pain, Sakura's head leaned forward until everything went black.

_The room she was in was very warm, and greatly contrasted from the coolness she felt against her eyes and the small of her back. Sakura was led forward a few steps, stopped, and then led forward a few more steps and Sakura had to catch herself from stumbling. Suddenly, all at once, the coolness left her and Sakura's eyes flew open. _

"_YOU!" an indignant voice reached her from across the room amidst a series of gasps and heavy breathing. Turning towards the sound Sakura found a very sweaty and very bloody blonde man half falling out of the bed he was in, pointing at her furiously. Same said man looked away from Sakura for a moment to the person on her right and redirected his finger. "Why did you bring HER here?" he demanded to the stoic Uchiha. Itachi simply let out an amused smirk. _

"_Why? What's wrong with her?" Kisame asked in bemusement. He looked from the infuriated blonde, to the smirking Uchiha, to the surprised rosette with growing confusion. _

"_Do you have any idea who she is?" Deidara demanded with crazed wide eyes, his wet hair shaking with the intensity of his gestures. Kisame continued to look at him growing concern. "Should I?" he responded carefully. _

"_Haruno Sakura. Famed apprentice of the Hokage, student of the Copy-nin Kakashi, teammates to Uzamaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. She murdered Sasori two years ago in Sand" he announced, looking between Itachi and Kisame for some sort of reaction. He was disappointed to find that they had none._

"_I thought you hated Sasori. You were always arguing with him about art and stuff" Kisame stated with furrowed brows, although he did feel a bit of heightened respect towards the kunoichi. He just didn't understand why the blonde was overacting. Itachi remained aloof, but looked towards his charge with renewed curiosity. _

"_How do you know about me again?" Sakura asked with her eyebrows raised. She sort of remembered the blonde, but no name stuck exactly. Sakura frowned in displeasure. She didn't really think that she was important enough to be memorized. _

"_I looked you up!" Deidara declared hysterically. "After you murdered Sasori and I was stuck with Tobi for a partner, yeah!" he continued, now actually sitting up in bed. Sakura toke a brief look around and realized that no one else was in the room besides the four of them._

"_You don't like Tobi?" Kisame asked, still obviously confused, while Sakura toke a few steps forward with her hands out in front of her defensively, a pleading look on her face._

"_You stay away from me, yeah!" Deidara screamed at her approach, scooting back in the bed until his back was against the wall. His eyes were slightly rolling by now, his face red, and sweat dripping down from every part of his body. Sakura's concern grew as she took in her soon-to-be patient. Angrily, she redirected her impatience and spun towards Itachi._

"_You left him here, by himself, alone, in this state!" she seethed with narrow eyes. She didn't quite understand why she was so annoyed with the Uchiha, but the fact that he toke the blonde's despair as entertainment disappointed and angered her. Trying not to let it get to her, she back lashed. "His fever is causing him to act beyond hysterical! Who knows what he could have done to himself" she added, placing her hands on her hips. _

"_It is not my fault that he decided to blow himself up" Itachi responded coolly, his own eyes narrowing in response to hers. _

"_Doesn't give you the right to loiter for hours" Sakura snapped back._

"_And since when do you have the right to question any of us, hm? Do not, for your sake, exist under the misconception that you are safe, and that we won't kill you after you finish repairing him" Itachi sneered, the tomoe's in eyes beginning to swirl. The girl's blatant disrespect was beginning to annoy him, and he found himself advancing towards her before he had the time to rationalize his actions. _

"_Who says I will even do it in the first place then?" Sakura stated, before her brain began to process what she had just said. Crap, she thought to herself inwardly as Itachi began to approach her menacingly. She retreated in response until she felt the hard wood of the walls pressed up against her back. The Uchiha did not stop drawing nearer until he was a few inches from her face. _

"_Because if you don't I will kill you right here and right now" Itachi breathed down on her, satisfied as fear began to consume the kunoichi's eyes._

_Despite the fact that Sakura had to prevent herself from shaking, she forced herself to remember back to a time when she had made a commitment to herself to become stronger so that she would be able to stick up for herself, and never be left in the shadow of Sasuke and Naruto again. She felt herself calming as she thought of all of the hours of training she had put into it, and all of the pains and aches and bruises. She didn't need Inner-Sakura anymore to help her confront others- she had the power to do it herself. _

_She smiled towards the Uchiha._

"_Well, that would be counter-productive. You could murder me, yes, but how long would it take for you to find another medic- nin with the capabilities necessary to heal all of his extensive injuries? A few hours, probably, and by then it is likely that he would already be dead" Sakura responded, and Itachi watched as the fear began to leave her eyes with puzzlement. He also realized, to his distaste, that she was right._

"_You will heal him. Because I assure you that if he dies, you will as well" he said forcefully, before abruptly taking a few steps back away from her face, turning, and heading out of the bedroom. The door clicked softly as it was closed, which Sakura considered ironic considering the Uchiha's mood. She turned towards Kisame, who had watched the exchange with obvious enjoyment. _

"_What?" Sakura asked tersely, now a little distraught about the exchange. _

_Kisame laughed. "I don't think I have ever seen him riled up so fast" he stated with a smirk, before turning to leave the room. He had only managed to get a few steps forward when he heard a voice behind him. _

"_Wait!" Sakura called. Kisame turned around expectantly. "Do you know where I can find a bathroom? Or some hot water and some towels?" she asked._

"_You are going to heal him?" Kisame asked in surprise. He had thought that she might play out acting like the stubborn and indulgent child a bit longer to irritate Itachi. Now that he thought about it though, it would be to her advantage to listen to Itachi. He was not kidding when he mentioned the likelihood of her death if she failed to heal Deidara. Which was too bad, the blue man snickered to himself, because he could not ever remember a time when anyone had talked back to his partner and lived. _

"_Of course" she stated virtuously, before raising her brow. "The supplies?" she asked again, this time a bit more impatiently. _

"_Second door on the right" he replied, giving the girl an odd look, before heading out of the door. Sakura relayed her thanks, before approaching the drooping shinobi, who had been strangely quiet during her exchange with the Uchiha. And just like that, Sakura remembered his name._

"_Deidara?" she asked softly. He jerked, staring blankly in front of him like a dead fish. "Oh my…" Sakura said to herself, realizing that the fever had progressed dangerously before taking action. First thing first, he had to be unconscious. Hitting a pressure point near the shinobi's neck and laying him comfortably down on the bed, Sakura instantly relaxed into her medic-routine and left to fetch towels and large bowl of water. Returning, she cleaned him of as much blood and sweat as she was capable before sending bits of chakra into his system for damage control. Stomach cavity, she acknowledged to herself, before noticing the repulsion that her chakra was getting from his hand. It's not his, she realized in surprise, before brushing away her discomfort and continuing her assessment. A few cuts and bruises, but the hole in his stomach seemed to be giving him the most trouble. Not particularly surprising. _

_Sakura spread out the content of her medical bag on the bed beside Deidara and began to work. _

*******

_Itachi returned to the room roughly three hours after he had left it. In this time he had plenty of time to analyze his reactions to the strange kunoichi, but he was still unable to understand why he had overreacted to her acquisitions. This ignorance bothered him greatly, and he could not help but blame the rosette in response. It did not help that he was openly mocked for his actions by his partner…_

_So it was in this mood, irritated and impatient, that Itachi approached the door. Kisame had informed him that Sakura was planning to heal Deidara, despite her initial defiance. Itachi was not sure, and did not look forward to having to be the one to kill her, which is what would assuredly happen if she had failed to save the blonde. The Akatsuki could not afford to keep around weaklings with sharp tongues._

_Pushing open the door noiselessly, Itachi was stopped in his train of thought as he took in the scene in front of him. Deidara was clean and neatly stitched, lying on unsoiled sheets and breathing regularly. The kunoichi on the other hand was… a mess. Lying unconscious, the top half of her body against the bed the bottom half in a chair, her hair was spread out in sweaty clumps around her head and there were bags underneath her eyes displaying her obvious exhaustion. _

_Itachi toke a few steps forward. Neither moved. Allowing himself to relax slightly, and sighing to himself in exasperation, he had half a mind to turn and leave before he thought better of it. Truth be told, Akatsuki was in need of a good medic. Their last member to have come the closest to fulfilling this status had betrayed them and left to form his own village. Needless to say, they did not have the time to run around stealing girls whenever one of them accidently injured themselves. _

_Ignoring the pinprick in the back of his mind that told him that this decision would assuredly lead to his demise, Itachi walked over towards where Sakura was lying and scooped her up into his arms. She was so light… his surprise had just enough time to register before he felt the girl wriggle a bit in his grip. He immediately stiffened, and when he looked down her head was facing his chest and she was breathing too softly to be awake. _

_Confused, Itachi visibly shook his head, before walking quickly to a spare bedroom and dumping Sakura unceremoniously on the empty bed. Growling to himself at his nagging conscience (still firmly in place despite his occupation due to his mother's… more violent upbringing techniques), he roughly tugged a blanket over her form, before leaving to get her bags, a disgruntled look still on his face. Kisame watched as the Uchiha passed by him, practically stomping, and let out a rumbling chuckle. Life was sure to get interesting, he thought to himself. _

The next thing Sakura knew, she was sprawled out on the bathroom floor laughing harder than she can remember laughing in a long time. The look on Itachi's face… She began laughing again. Who knew such an infamous assassin kept his temper on such a short leash, Sakura thought to herself with a smirk, before she recalled Kisame's words. He had said that that behavior was abnormal for Itachi…

Sakura found herself snickering again, and rubbing her bulging stomach absentmindedly before she stood up from where she was on the bathroom floor. Smiling to herself she left to dump her mug of cold tea out in the sink before refilling it. Taking a sip of now pleasantly warm tea, Sakura considered the memory.

Her defiance wasn't particularly surprising. After her parents died in an accidental fire before her seventeenth birthday, and after she uncovered the conspiracy theories that seemed to be controlling the council, Sakura was pretty bitter with life for a little while. If she was true to herself, she knew that she had never really gotten over that and that the sarcastic and cynical residue had left its mark on her personality. She had never considered that it would have such drastic consequences, though- back sassing to the Uchiha. Lord. She was lucky to be alive. She had to agree with Kisame now, though, it was certainly entertaining to watch.

Sighing and letting another small smirk broaden her lips, Sakura toke another drink.

* * *

Lunch with Naruto and Kakashi had been very enjoyable today. They had gone to Naruto's favorite Ramen stand, talked about good old times, and Sasuke had not been mentioned once. Sakura could practically feel her good mood pulsating, and smiled brightly for the entire world to see. They had even offered to pay for her.

Sitting up from the stool a little awkwardly while holding her stomach out in front of her, and generously thanking her boys, Sakura was about to walk away when the sound of Naruto's voice stopped her.

"Sakura, wait!" Naruto cried out, before flinging himself in her presence. "Where are you going?" he asked, beaming brightly at her.

"I need to pick up a few groceries and get some new clothes" Sakura stated, patting her stomach for emphasis. "Why" she continued, tilting her head slightly to the side "Would you like to come?" Naruto nodded energetically in response and together they headed into the marketplace.

Immediately Sakura felt herself walking over to Nokia-san's booth.

Her relationship with the large-breasted woman had improved greatly since their first encounter. Over the past few months Sakura had found herself wandering over to the clothing booth and, relaxing in the older woman's presence, prattling about nothing in particular. It had been very comforting to her to have an older female to rely on, especially because her relationship with the Hokage and Shizune as of late had been rather strained, and Nokia-san had proven to be both intelligently insightful and trustworthy. So it was with great familiarity that Sakura greeted the woman.

"Nokia-san!" Sakura announced cheerfully, before leaning over the booth table and giving the woman an enthusiastic hug. Nokia-san laughed a little as Sakura's stomach got in the way of their interaction, before pulling away, her hands lingering on Sakura's arms.

"Sakura-chan" Nokia-san stated smiling fondly, looking from her, to Naruto, and back again. "You want something?" she asked, slightly puzzled.

Sakura's face became a little abashed as she replied, "Clothes, actually. I am getting so big…" Nokia-san let out a pelt of laughter at the young girl's embarrassment, putting her arms down by her sides, before she began quickly rummaging through the clothes pile in front of her.

"You're not so big yet" Naruto stated, coming up beside her. He smiled briefly at her, before turning and watching Nokia-san with a slightly concerned expression on his face.

"Yet" Sakura stated with trepidation, scowling at the air in front of her, before sighing loudly and turning to watch Nokia-san rummage as well. Glancing back towards Naruto, Sakura noticed that her teamate was fidgeting nervously, and turned towards him in concern. "Are you alright?" Sakura asked, her brows furrowing.

"Umm, well…" he started to say, before pausing and trying again.

"Well, Sakura-chan, Kakashi and I just wanted to ask you about…" Naruto started to say again, before more fidgeting took over and he stopped himself, wincing.

"About what? Honestly, Naruto, you're acting worse than Hinata" Sakura laughed, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder and attempting to smile through her concern.

"Well…" he started to say looking at the floor, before he stopped again. Then, suddenly, Naruto's back straightened, his eyes grew determined, and while Sakura's hand fell from his shoulder he turned and looked directly into her eyes. Someone's found their resolve, Sakura thought to herself with relief. "Kakashi and I wanted to talk to you about the father of your baby. We've been… dancing around approaching you for months now" he stated, and Sakura was struck by the thought of how much he had grown since they were twelve.

"And?" Sakura asked, somewhat amused that he was finally going to say something.

"Well, we think it's Sasuke" Naruto stated warily. Neither Naruto nor Sakura noticed that Nokia-san had stopped shifting her piles of clothing. Sakura turned towards Naruto.

"I don't think so" Sakura stated with a half smile on her face. She had been right, she thought to herself with a laugh. Her disposition grew grimmer after she had the time to take in Naruto's expression, however, which was rapidly darkening.

"You don't understand" he growled, "We know it was him." With the declaration Naruto toke a few steps forward towards Sakura, a determined expression dominating his features.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms on top of her bulging stomach in response to Naruto's obvious aggressiveness. "You know it was him?" she responded skeptically with a single brow raised.

"Yes!" he snarled, before realizing how angry he seemed and forcing himself to take a few steps back. Breathing loudly, he closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them and turning back towards Sakura. "Sorry" he stated shortly, before running a hand through his hair angrily. "It's just… he was the one who left you here half a year ago. Didn't anyone tell you? They found you on the same stone bench as… Look, I saw him Sakura. He was standing over you, watching me… and he just disappeared as I got closer. But I was sure it was him" Naruto explained with a frustrated expression.

"Sasuke left me here?" Sakura asked, feeling more than a little startled. That possibility had not even bothered to enter her mind, so she felt, understandably, a little winded at the revelation.

Naruto nodded gravely in response.

"And on the same stone bench, too… the bastard" Sakura stated scowling into the space beside Naruto's head. Turning towards him, she added, "He isn't the father, though."

Naruto's brows furrowed in response. "Well, who else could it be?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest, mimicking Sakura.

Sakura sighed loudly, and stated more than a little whimsically, "I have no idea." She smiled at Naruto in hopes of ending the conversation, before turning towards Nokia-san purposefully. The woman in question had an armful of clothes and was staring at Sakura more than a little strangely. Sakura was about to ask the woman about the reason for such an expression, before Naruto's voice interrupted her from speaking.

"But you admit it's a possibility" Naruto stated, taking a step so that he was now beside Sakura, standing in front of the booth.

"You honestly think Sasuke would want to have sex with me? That he would be interested in having sex with anyone?" Sakura stated dubiously, her head turning back towards Naruto's.

"He is a man, Sakura" Naruto stated with a knowing look, and Sakura thought right then that he appeared far older than he had any right to appear. She shook her head in response to his statement, and snorted loudly. "Come on" Naruto whined slightly, "You have to admit that you are a little Uchiha obsessed. Don't think I haven't noticed all of the scrolls in your house about them."

"Sasuke doesn't concern me" Sakura rebuked defensively, her eyes once again narrowed. She toke a side step away from him, holding a protective hand over her stomach as though that would protect them both from his words.

"Sasuke doesn't concern you? Since when? I thought you loved him" Naruto stated, once again obviously confused. He resisted from taking a step towards her, allowing Sakura her space.

"I was twelve and foolish, Naruto. And just in case you didn't notice, he left us. He thought he was too good for us and he didn't believe that we could help him get stronger. He thought he had to leave us and become more powerful on his own" Sakura responded with a grimace.

"So now he doesn't concern you?" Naruto reiterated, his face still expressing his disbelief.

"Yes" Sakura stated strongly. "He doesn't deserve my concern. He can fix his problems on his own. My babysitting never accomplished anything in the past, and it certainly won't do anything now" she continued, determined and angry.

Naruto appeared a little distraught at her answer, but curiosity seemed to get the better of him. "So who does concern you?" he asked, concern splayed across his own face.

Sakura sighed, looked down at her feet, back up at him, and then seemed to glance around them. She finally responded after a few minutes of tentative searching, and after she had determined that the ANBU trailing her were far enough away not to be too much of a bother. "Itachi" she stated reluctantly.

"Itachi?" Naruto exclaimed loudly in surprise. He immediately quieted as Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Itachi?" he repeated again at a much lower decibel.

"Some of my memories have returned," Sakura explained, still obviously reluctant, "And he has been in a few of them. But his actions and words… they just don't make sense. He doesn't make any sense Naruto! And I don't make any sense! Why don't I hate him?! It's frustrating because I have no idea why. It feels like I am missing… something." She let out an aggravated breath of air before continuing, "I am trying to find out what that something is."

Naruto wasn't even able to respond for a few moments, but when he did, he let out a large snort and started shaking his head. "You are concerned about… Itachi? The person who murdered his entire family? The reason Sasuke left us? You are concerned about HIM?" Naruto asked, becoming more aggravated as he talked, and making violent gestures to accompany them. Sakura said nothing in response to Naruto's accusations. "Kakashi was right" Naruto stated tersely, "He said you were obsessing over something recently, something beside the pregnancy. I just assumed it was Sasuke. But Itachi!" He turned away from Sakura for a moment, before turning back around. "Something?" he stated sarcastically, still obviously angry.

"Don't you get mad at me, Naruto. I don't deserve this" Sakura replied with a frown, her fists curled by her sides. Naruto seemed to be struggling not to say something, and aggravated simply turned and left. Sakura stared after his departure sadly.

"Sakura-chan?" Nokia-san's voice interrupted her from her bought of depression. Sakura put on the brightest smile she could manage at the moment and turned towards her expectantly. The woman, an anxious expression deepening the wrinkles on her face, put the pile of clothes into the young girl's arms somewhat reluctantly. "You okay?" she asked.

Sakura just smiled wearily in response. "I hope I will be soon" she sighed.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. The things that could happen if I did... **

**Note to Readers: Review if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please. 3**


	5. Probability

"Veritum dies aperit" (Time discovers the truth)

Chapter 5 Probability

Sakura sat on the uncomfortable examination table, looking around the room with disinterest. She was in for her bi-weekly check-up with Tsunade, and did not look forward to having to explain her recent memories. Helping an Akatsuki member was more than enough to get her prosecuted as a traitor- not as if she wasn't already in risk of that, but this incident simply confirmed her execution. Sakura sighed, and turned her head towards the other side of the room.

That was not all that was worrying her, however. It had been three days since her spat with Naruto at the marketplace, and he still refused to even look at her. Sakura could not ever remember a time when Naruto had held on to a grudge for this long- he was not the type to allow things to fester inside him. He was much more likely to let everything explode the minute it popped into his head.

His behavior made Sakura extremely uncomfortable. Was she really so strange to wonder about Itachi? She had never been the type to completely write people off, so she did not realize her behavior was anything to worry about until Naruto had raised such a fuss. Well, now that she thought about it, she did write Naruto off once upon a time, and Sasuke, and probably Itachi too… She didn't now though. Why? That question seemed to harbor a place inside her head, and whisper insistently whenever she stopped to think. Why? She didn't have any answers, and Sakura could feel herself heating up in frustration.

"Sakura?" the voice of Tsunade bombarded her musings. Sakura looked up, a bored expression moving quickly to take over her features.

"Yes?" Sakura answered her tone without inclination. Here it comes, she thought to herself with dismay, all of the accusations, and insinuations…

"Are you alright?" her teacher asked with concern. Sakura blinked in surprise, and stared up at the woman with a frown.

"Yes?" Sakura asked with hesitation, her brow furrowing. Was there a reason for her not to be?

"Tired?" Tsunade asked smiling wearily, and Sakura was struck by the irony of the statement. Her sensei's wrinkles were more pronounced than she ever remembered seeing, and there were heavy bags under her eyes.

"A little," Sakura stated, becoming more concerned as the sannin practically fell into the rolling arm-chair that was beside the examination table. She slumped back and closed her eyes for a few moments, before opening them and forcing herself to scoot forwards in her seat towards Sakura.

"So," the Hokage began, weariness still tainting her voice, "Naruto came to see me a few days ago with some interesting... ideas." Sakura simply stared at her sensei, and waited for her to continue. "What he told me about your interest in the Uchiha is not necessarily surprising. He assured me, however, that the situation was far more serious than I was making it out to be. Apparently, according to him, Sasuke impregnated you and you were so devastated with the missing-nin's abandonment of you that you made yourself forget all about it, and subconsciously decided to redirect your attentions towards the older Uchiha as a distraction. He maintains that you are in denial of what he claims is the truth."

By the end of this statement Sakura's mouth was hung open in indignation, and she was about to huff out some sort of declaration in her defense. Before she got the chance, however, Tsunade had held up her left hand in silence and Sakura was surprised to see a glint of what looked like amusement in the Hokage's eyes.

"I obviously did not view this information as important enough to send for you," Tsunade continued with a slight smirk, "But I did think you should know some of what was coming out of that boy's mouth." Sakura let out an exasperated sigh and held her head in her hands. Well, she thought to herself sardonically, she was definitely tired now.

"I assume you finally received a memory? When I first walked into the room you had the most disgruntled expression on your face. You didn't even notice when I opened the door," the sannin declared, once again serious.

"Yes, I did. I would rather not talk about it, though, honestly speaking," Sakura stated with a frown, her right hand balled up in the hem at the bottom of her shirt in slight anxiety.

"That bad?" Tsunade asked with concern.

"Enough for a public execution," Sakura maintained, her frown deepening. The realization of her words just now seemed to have hit her, and she looked down at her slightly shaking hands with despair. She didn't want to die. She didn't want her baby to die. Sakura always had a certain awareness about the inevitability of death- all ninja did. She had always assumed she would die on the field, however, battling against enemies- it would be quick and efficient, and she would be completely oblivious of her demise. Awaiting execution however, completely aware of her impending release... she did not think she would have the strength to face something like that.

"You healed him?" the Hokage guessed, leaning back into her seat and crossing her arms in front of her chest, her expression expectant. She was happy to see that as her student nodded in confirmation she at least appeared to be a little penitent. "Is that all that happened?" Tsunade asked.

"The last thing I remember is falling asleep after I had managed to change the bed sheets," Sakura stated, nodding again. She was surprised to see a gentle smile come across her teacher's face.

"Were you threatened during the exchange? Was there any evidence given that might have indicated that what you were doing was against your will?" her sensei probed. Tsunade's eyebrows raised in surprise as Sakura began laughing hysterically from just the mention of her experience.

"You should have seen the look on his face, Shishou," Sakura snickered in amusement with sparkling eyes, before answering her teacher's original question with a broad smile still on her face. "Yes and yes. When I informed Itachi that I wouldn't heal Deidara, there were death threats from both him and Kisame." Tsunade was a little disturbed to find that death threats from S-class missing-nins would cause Sakura to_ laugh_, but did not get the chance to say anything about it before her student resumed speaking. "That shouldn't matter though. I technically went with them of my own free will, with the intention of healing him," Sakura declared with slightly furrowed brows, her smile gone from her face.

"We can still use it in your favor," Tsunade said, before letting out a deep sigh. Sakura liked to imagine that at that second her teacher was considering how much life really sucked sometimes. That was what she was thinking about. In any case, after a few minutes had gone by filled with quiet contemplation among both parties, Tsunade finally rose out of her seat and approached Sakura.

"Time for your check-up," she stated with a forced smile, motioning Sakura to lie down, before starting a process that over the months had quickly become routine. Paperwork was filled with Tsunade's messy scrawl about Sakura's blood pressure, heart rate, the condition of her eyes and ears, and Sakura's responses to questions about her health. Then Tsunade moved on to check the bulge that was Sakura's stomach and let out a wide grin with stethoscope in hand. "He's got a strong heartbeat," she explained to her student with satisfaction, and Sakura could not resist from smiling in response.

It was soon over, and Sakura once again found herself sitting upright on the examination table, watching the Hokage finish dotting down the last tidbits of her report. Obviously pleased, the sannin looked up to give Sakura the results of her analysis.

"Extremely healthy. Both of you," she stated with a broad smile, beginning to turn around and leave the room. She stopped herself, however, and turned back around frowning. "I forgot to say something," she stated, sitting back down in the chair. After a few seconds of silence Sakura became confused, and after a few more seconds disturbed. "Yes?" she prodded uncertainly.

"The Council, pushed by Danzo," her sensei's nose scrunched up in disgust at the name, "Has decided to take you off maternity leave, arguing that you were not working in the first place so you do not deserve the money." Sakura could do nothing but gape, before closing her mouth with a snap and frowning ferociously.

"How do they expect me to live without a paycheck? Sakura snarled, anger beginning to well up in her stomach against Danzo. The bastard seemed to exist to make her life hell. And the fact that her sensei had almost forgot to inform her about these events just left her feeling thoroughly disgruntled with life.

"They did offer some sort of compromise as far as getting a job goes..." Tsunade started to say, before her lips curled back in revulsion.

"What?" Sakura asked, beginning to feel a bit anxious from the sannin's expression.

"They wish for you to work as an interrogator. Apparently Danzo convinced the Council that you might be more grateful if you were to see how criminals and missing-nins are normally treated upon returning to the village. This is the only job you are allowed to do, however- they banned you from trying even D rank missions, and you are prohibited from working in the hospital," Tsunade explained, her eyes narrowing. "And unfortunately I can do nothing about their decision."

Sakura's eyes were narrowing on par with Tsunade's. "They want a pregnant woman to interrogate criminals?" Sakura asked sarcastically. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"I am afraid not," the Hokage sighed, before rubbing her eyes with her palms tiredly.

"And this is my only possible source of income in the coming months?" Sakura reiterated angrily.

"Yes," Tsunade replied solemnly, watching her previous student warily. Sakura's hands were in balls grasping the end of her shirt again, and her expression slowly went from one of anger, to one of distress, and finally to one of hopelessness. She could guess what the rosette was thinking- unless Sakura was willing to receive charity, which Tsunade knew the kunoichi would be very reluctant to accept, she would be forced onto the streets, which was not an option given her baby. And while Sakura's budget might have had the money to pay for her rent while she was gone, Tsunade was well aware that the girl's reserves were all but depleted.

"Fine," Sakura let out reluctantly in a voice barely above a whisper.

Tsunade nodded in understanding, before once again rising from her chair. "In that case, I should tell you that you are expected to meet with Ibiki Morino at nine a.m. sharp in the interrogation building on Monday to begin your training." Sakura nodded. Tsunade left the room before any pity could escape from her face.

Sakura refused to cry, refused to scream, refused to even acknowledge that Danzo's decision had any effect on her. Taking deep breaths while walking with wide strides, Sakura entered her apartment feeling tense and anxious. After pacing for several minutes around her kitchen table absentmindedly, Sakura stopped herself. Relax, she told herself repeatedly, before simply resigning to take a long bath followed with a comfortable nap.

The hot water did wonders to her nerves, and Sakura was satisfied to see that it was easy to get comfortable on the couch, covered in blankets. Closing her eyes with growing content, Sakura was startled to see that her head was beginning to pound and colors were starting to whirl together inches from her face. Attempting to steady herself, Sakura reached her hand out in front of her to grasp the edge of the coffee table, but was dismayed when everything went black.

_"Kunoichi!" a loud voice was ringing next to her ears, and in her confused state Sakura only had the energy to swat at the source of the sound with the hand closest to it half-heartedly. _

_"Kunoichi!" the voice repeated, containing obvious amusement. Sakura let out a small groan of discontentment as she realized where she was, and attempted to open her eyes and raise her head. A dull pounding that she was not previously aware of began to throb in the back of her mind at the movement, however, and Sakura could not help but let out a huff of frustration and pain._

_"Kunoichi!" the stupid voice called a third time, and Sakura could not resist from pinpointing the voice through the mothballs and the throbbing that seemed to have taken the place of her brain. Not even bothering to open her eyes, Sakura felt familiar tendrils of chakra slid into her fist before jumping up and attacking the voice. She opened her eyes just in time to see a surprised Kisame hop backwards with an odd sense of grace. Sakura frowned. _

_"Kunoichi?" Kisame asked, his lips curling back into a wide smile. It was then that she was suddenly aware of the other occupants of the room, and she turned towards them warily. _

_"Sakura," she responded thoughtlessly, simultaneously taking note of the two people standing around the bedside while determining the reason for her disorientation. It did not take her long to figure out- extreme chakra depletion had done worse to her before. The people toke perhaps a bit more times to analyze._

_Most recognizable, perhaps, was Itachi, who was closest to the door and wearing his usual dispassionate expression. To Itachi's left was an intimidating man with light hair and swirling eyes- his stance was one that commanded attention and respect, and Sakura was anxious to see that she couldn't discern what he was thinking at all. His Akatsuki cloak covered up most of him, so Sakura was left to stare unabashedly at the many piercings covering the man's face. She also noted that he seemed strangely tense. _

_I couldn't even sense their approach, Sakura thought to herself with slight trepidation after she had carefully recorded the member's appearance. She looked back towards Kisame. He was now looking at the light-headed man, and Sakura turned her gaze to follow his. The man had not moved, and seemed to be sizing her up with his eyes._

_They simply stood there, and Sakura grew more and more confused as time passed. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Twenty. And nobody seemed to be able to move or speak at all. Finally, impatient and anxious to calm what promised to be a raging migraine, Sakura was about to say something before the light-headed man interrupted and asked a sudden question. "Why did you leave your village?"_

_Sakura was slightly taken aback by the man's bluntness, but she took the time to think about his question, her brows drawn together in contemplation. "It did not uphold my ideals," she stated after a few moments._

_"Your ideals?" the man asked, his right brow raising. _

_Sakura thought back towards how Naruto and Sasuke were ostracized by the village for being different- Naruto for containing the Jinchuuriki, and Sasuke for surviving a massacre and being an Uchiha. The villager's (especially the adult's) intolerance had always surprised and confused her- now it just left her feeling jaded and angry. "They seem unable to embrace or even accept people that are different than them. It's... infuriating," Sakura responded with a frown. _

_The man nodded. "Why are you here?" he asked, his face still completely devoid of expression. _

_Sakura let out a small smirk. "Fortunately it seems the villager's sense of discrimination failed to rub off on me," she replied. This, now that she thought about it, was very true. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and even Sai had been some of her most precious people, and all of them were hated by the village for one reason or another. And now she would be hated too... she was not able to follow this train of thought before the man once again spoke._

_"Itachi was right, there is no need to kill you," the man stated in a thoroughly satisfied fashion, one corner of his lip tilting into a condescending smirk. Sakura's brows rose, and she frowned in response to his words, willing herself not to look at the Uchiha. The man continued. "You may refer to me as Leader-sama during your stay here. You are permitted to wear a cloak if you so wish, but you will not technically become a member of the Akatsuki- we operate with ten members at a time, and speaking plainly, you are not needed. Itachi assured me that you would have your uses as a medic-nin," here the man paused to look at the said Uchiha, before turning back to her, "which guarantees our hospitality. The moment it disappears, however, I can guarantee nothing." _

_This was said very quickly, and Leader-sama was soon looking to her for some sort of confirmation that she understood. "Yes Leader-sama," Sakura replied as monotone as possible, and satisfied the pierced man nodded at her before turning on his heal and quickly leaving the room. Sakura looked towards Itachi and Kisame, who were still in the room looking at her. "Yes?" she asked._

_"Breakfast," Kisame replied with a grin, before gesturing toward her to follow him. He in turn was following the Uchiha, who at the time was already walking down the hall in long strides. Sakura nodded, and followed Kisame into a hallway that seemed very narrow due to the extremely poor light._

_"Are we above ground?" Sakura asked turning her head warily from one wall full of closed cedar doors to the other. The Mist-nin grunted his assent, before picking up his legs and increasing his stride so that he was walking directly behind Itachi. Sakura let out a small huff of exasperation, before increasing her speed as well so she would not lose them._

_After several minutes in which the Akatsuki pair had made turns in enough hallways for Sakura to wonder about the size of this establishment, they finally stopped in front a wooden door. Sakura was slightly confused- it appeared to be the same as all of the other doors. It was obvious that this was to lead to kitchen of some type, but she imagined that the door would look somewhat different, be somewhat more significant._

_Itachi wasted no time knocking, or even slowly opening the door. It swung open with the puff of a breath, and the Uchiha immediately stepped inside and disappeared somewhere to Sakura's left. Kisame seemed to follow him and stepping into the now vacated doorway. Sakura blinked in surprise. _

_The Akatsuki's eating area was divided into two parts with a small wall, a kitchen to the right and a small dining area to the left. The room, in contrast with the hallway and the bedroom she had woken up in, was brightly lit by a small window located above the sink. What so surprised Sakura could have been the light, perhaps, or the fact that the counters, appliances, floor, and table were all gleaming magnificently, as if a beacon of cleanliness. After she had the time to appreciate the sight, Sakura turned her attention to the occupants of the table to her left whom she had looked over in her assessment of the room. _

_The table and chairs appeared curiously crowded, as if they had been pushed up against the wall and left there- it looked out of placed when considering the order of the kitchen and Sakura found herself tilting her head slightly to the side as she made her observations. Itachi was furthest from her, leaning against the wall to Sakura's left. His elbows were stationed on the table holding his head up, and his eyes were closed. Kisame sat kitty-corner from him, and was slouched in his chair gazing around the room with a bored expression, although Sakura could feel him turn towards her every few minutes as if on the look out for a source of amusement. A thoroughly bandaged Deidara was sitting across the table from Itachi and seemed to be blatantly ignoring her. The other occupant, a masked man with dark spiky hair, was gazing up at her curiously. _

_"Yes?" she asked him politely. In the back of her mind, Sakura noticed with a sense of childish wonder that her voice was magnified slightly by the small room. She tossed the thought away without much care. _

_The man in question sprang up from his chair after hearing her address him, and rushed forward to meet her. Apprehensive, Sakura could not help but take one step back so that she was in a defensive position as he bounded in front of her. "Hi!" he announced with a great deal of enthusiasm, slightly bouncing on his feet._

_"Hi," Sakura responded warily and somewhat reluctantly, trying to resist from frowning in bemusement. _

_"I'm Tobi," he declared, before sticking his hand in her face expectantly. Sakura stared at it for a few seconds, before grasping it lightly and shaking it. He returned the action was gusto. Sakura realized he wasn't going to stop until she introduced herself, and responded, "I'm Sakura". _

_"Sakura! What a pretty name," the man stated, finally letting go of her hand and nodded to himself in a self-satisfied manner. Giving her what she guessed was a goofy grin, difficult to perceive behind so unrevealing a mask, he added, "Will you be staying with us long Sakura?"_

_The question gave Sakura a start, and she felt as if she had just now realized that she had somewhat, almost, maybe joined the Akatsuki. Frowning in surprise, Sakura wondered how that had happened- it had felt to her as if she had been drugged for the last few days, swimming through time as though it were molasses, and she had just finally managed to break to the surface. What was going on?_

_Tobi seemed to misjudge her expression as being displeased with him, and hurriedly began to make amends. "I am so sorry Sakura, I sincerely did not mean to offend you in any way…" He was cut short by Sakura, who put a hand up in front of her face as if about to proclaim an oath. Tobi became silent at once, and waited for Sakura to say something._

"_There is no need to apologize," Sakura stated with a tired smile, "It was only a question. I am sorry- I just spaced off for a second. As an answer to your question, I have not really given it that much thought yet." Sakura silently reprimanded herself for being caught unawares, again, and promised herself that she would think about her situation more when she was by herself. _

"_No?" Tobi asked rhetorically before very visibly shrugging, which Sakura guessed was difficult to do underneath so heavy a cloak. "Alright then. Breakfast. Would you help me make it?" Tobi's plea was desperate, anxious, and excited all at the same time, and Sakura found that she could not resist from nodding. Tobi grabbed her hand and bounced into the kitchen happily in response. _

_Upon reaching the refrigerator he let go of her hand, flung open the door, and began piling a random assortment of food into the young girl's arms. Eggs, bacon, cantaloupe, butter, sausage, oranges, milk… He left her to juggle her goods onto an empty kitchen counter before he closed the fridge with a snap, and swung open the pantry enthusiastically. Walking back Tobi began shoving more things into her arms. Biscuits, bagels, potatoes, flour, sugar, salt, a loaf of bread… Sakura put it on another empty counter while Tobi busied himself by filling the empty teapot on the stove full of water. _

_Sakura was confused, and not one to avoid voicing her opinion, asked Tobi, "Are we seriously going to make all of this?" Tobi turned towards her in surprise and then silence. Sakura immediately felt foolish, and attempting to shake it off, sighed and turned back towards the food on the counter. She spun back towards Tobi in slight indignation, however, as he let out a large laugh._

"_Of course not," he replied, still laughing "But when I cook I like to give my consumers choices." With that, he grabbed Sakura's sleeve and dragged her into the dining area. Pushing her forward with a hand on the small of her back he demanded, "Go ask them what they want." Sakura turned back around skeptically, a little confused at the man's constant change in behavior, but Tobi had already skipped back into the kitchen._

_Sakura slowly turned her head towards the three men at the table, and was unhappy to note that they were all looking at her expectantly. Frowning in response, she said, "You heard the man. What would you like for breakfast?" They continued to look at her._

_Feeling teased and annoyed, Sakura approached who she felt was the most approachable of the three- Kisame. He refrained from doing anything except smirk broadly until she was standing right in front of him, and even then he only deigned himself to say, "Nothing, if you are helping Tobi cook." Sakura cracked her knuckles and had to remind herself mentally that this was not Naruto, and it wouldn't do to engage in physical violence. Kisame might not be so forgiving. Instead Sakura let out a large smile and stated in a sickly sweet voice, "Alright. No breakfast. What about you two? Willing to have something to eat?_

_Itachi nodded, and Deidara just stared at her._

_This continued for a few moments before Sakura gave way to her impatience. Spinning around and clenching her fists in frustration, Sakura left the dining room for the kitchen. "Well?" Tobi asked without a small amount of amusement from the other side of the room. The rosette was silent except for a small huff of frustration, and dragged herself up beside Tobi at the stove._

"_Now what?" she asked, and Sakura swore that had Tobi not been wearing a mask, he would have been grinning._

_An hour and a half had passed before Sakura and Tobi were ready to fill the table with food. Grabbing a stack of plates, she peered into the dining room as inconspicuously as possible. She noticed with slight concern that they were in the exact same position they she had originally seem them in, and wondered to herself whether they had moved at all. Entering the room Sakura quickly set the table, before returning to the kitchen to help Tobi with the food._

_It was all set up and distributed within the next five minutes, and Sakura began eating in silence. The silence was broken rather abruptly, however, when Itachi began to cough violently. Surprised, everyone just stared at him. Slowly, however, after looking suspiciously at Itachi's eggs, their gaze turned to look at Sakura. _

"_What?" Sakura asked with an embarrassed frown._

"_Maybe I was right to turn down your food," Kisame said, looking disgruntled._

"_I didn't even make the eggs!" Sakura defended herself with a frown. That didn't seem to matter to any of them as they all continued to leer at her. Sakura attempted to ignore their stares while shoving the rest of her food in her mouth. After her eggs had disappeared she looked back up only to find Itachi just... looking at her. Despite that, his gaze seemed more intense than the glares given by everyone else._

_Abruptly Sakura felt herself stand, and taking her plate, sulked into the kitchen. She dumped her plate nonchalantly in the sink, and was just about to open the door with a voice stopped her. _

_"Don't get lost," Kisame stated sarcastically with a smirk. Inside Sakura felt something snap, and the next thing she knew, she had sent a kunai aimed at his throat with a flick of her wrist. Kisame caught the blade between his fingers and started chuckling loudly. He was about to throw it back when she stopped him._

_"Keep it fishy-chan," Sakura stated, before leaving the room. She noticed with something close to satisfaction that Kisame had stopped laughing, and began to tread the hallways in front of her with a curious sense of dread. Should she go left? Looking around at the narrow hallways with a frown, Sakura went right._

Sakura woke up with a headache, and an odd craving for tuna and dango. Struggling out of the couch, she shoved the blankets to the end too lazy to fold them, and picked up her once again cold tea cup. Sighing loudly into the cup, she walked over to the sink while pondering just what kind of mess she had gotten herself into. Her stomach grumbled. Yawning, Sakura made her way out of her apartment and into the marketplace.

In the light of the late afternoon the sun was just beginning to touch the edges of the sky, and everything glowed in an orange light. Walking over to a dango stand, Sakura bought several pieces, and started munching on them as she made her way over to Nokia-san's booth.

The woman was wearing a loose black dress with a sash tied around the middle, and was violently arguing with a man with soft brown hair and dark eyes. Sakura watched Nokia-san's eyes flash with irritation, and was inwardly amused. She took a few steps closer to listen in on their conversation.

"I refuse to move my cart just because you ask me to!" Nokia-san announced to the man's face, practically snarling. The man, in turn, was becoming just as angry.

"You have no authority, woman! You have no seniority, no important family ties or connections! No one knows anything about you! So what makes you think that you have the right to tell me and my friends that we can't sell where you are standing?" the man yelled back into Nokia-san's face.

"Because it's my spot, and if you don't move now, I can assure you that you will regret it," Nokia-san stated more quietly with a hard look.

"Yeah right, try your worst," the man sneered, leaning in and grabbing one of her breasts. Nokia-san struck quickly, her hand going instantly to the man's pressure points. The man fell to the ground in front of her stall in a piled heap. Sakura grinned, and pulled herself up next to the woman.

Nokia-san looked up at Sakura in surprise, but after seeing Sakura's grin, smiled. "Want to help me dispose of this garbage?" she asked.

"Of course," Sakura responded. Together they picked up the guy's body and deposited it on top of his booth. Standing together and watching the man's various fish rot underneath his stinking body, the women sighed in content, and went back to Nokia-san's stall to eat dango together.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. The wonders that might befell if I did... ah, well. **

**Note to Readers: Review if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please. 3**


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